More than 30 soldiers have been killed and around 100 others injured in three days in northwestern Yemen, near the border with Saudi Arabia, in a new offensive by pro-government forces against Houthi rebels.
Read alsoYemen: Washington threatens Houthi rebels with new sanctions
According to government military sources, loyalist forces, backed since 2015 by a military coalition led by neighboring Saudi Arabia, surrounded the Harad area in Hajjah province on Tuesday after three days of fighting.
These clashes, which are continuing, have caused the death of 32 pro-government soldiers, including four officers, since Saturday, the day the offensive began, these military sources told AFP.
The fighting also injured at least 100 soldiers, they added.
Meanwhile, 56 rebel fighters died in fighting and coalition airstrikes, a pro-government military official said.
The Houthis, who control several regions of the country and the capital Sanaa, very rarely communicate about their losses.
The conflict in Yemen has intensified in recent weeks, with coalition military and loyalist forces launching offensives against rebels to reclaim territory lost in more than seven years of war.
At the same time, the rebels have stepped up attacks against neighboring Saudi Arabia with missiles and drones, but also against the United Arab Emirates, the other pillar of the coalition, which since January has become a new front in the conflict.
One of the attacks, carried out using drones and missiles, left three dead in Abu Dhabi on January 17.
"
A Help from a Friend
"
In this context, the United Arab Emirates receives on Tuesday the visit of General Kenneth McKenzie, head of the central command of the American army in the Middle East (Centcom).
The "
United States is working with the Emirates (...) to develop new effective solutions to stop drone attacks before they are even launched
", said the general, whose remarks were reported on the Emirati news agency WAM.
“
We have brought in the USS Cole guided missile destroyer, which has ballistic missile defense capabilities
,” he added, adding that “
it will patrol Emirati waters and work closely
” with the country's air defense.
The commander also indicated that the F-22 fighter jets, whose deployment to the Emirates had been announced by Washington to support Abu Dhabi, will be sent around “
next week
”.
"
He's just one friend helping another in a time of crisis
," the general said.
US forces stationed at Al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi had helped the Emirates intercept two ballistic missiles launched on January 24 by the Houthis.
According to the UN, the war in Yemen has left at least 377,000 dead and millions displaced in what is considered one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world, including the risk of large-scale famine.
