Yemen Government Forces, Houthi Rebels Renew Attacks in Taiz, Hodeidah

Intense fighting renewed on Tuesday between Yemeni government forces and the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels in the southwestern province of Taiz, with the rebels launching a large-scale attack on government-controlled areas in the eastern part of the province. The government forces, backed by local tribal fighters, reportedly repulsed the Houthi attack. At least five people were killed and several others were injured in the fighting. Also on Tuesday, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that the Saudi-led coalition, which supports the internationally recognized government, had launched five drone strikes targeting Houthi military positions in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah. A UN-brokered cease-fire between the warring sides in the Yemen conflict expired in October 2022, leading to the outbreak of sporadic armed confrontations across the country. The civil war in Yemen began in 2014 when the Iranian-backed Houthi insurgent group stormed several northern cities and forced the government out of the capital, Sanaa. President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi resigned in January 2015. A month later, he rescinded his resignation, and in March, a Saudi-led coalition intervened against the Houthis. The civil war has created one of the worst humanitarian crises of the modern era.