Mass funerals in Yemen as fighting rages

Iran-backed Houthis have this week arranged funerals in Sanaa and Saada for 15 fallen combatants as the Yemeni militia continues to attack government troops in Lahj, Marib, and Taiz.

Official Houthi media reported that at least 11 officers had been buried in the capital Sanaa since Saturday, while another four with varying military ranks had been laid to rest in the militia’s heartland of Saada, bringing the total number of killed fighters to more than 150 since the beginning of July.

The Houthis have launched deadly attacks on government-controlled areas in southern and central Yemen — killing dozens of government soldiers — despite the UN-brokered ceasefire which took effect in early 2022.

Yemeni military officials say that the actual number of Houthi casualties on the battlefield is significantly higher than the figure reported by the militia’s media, and that the Houthis have suffered massive losses.

Meanwhile, Yemeni government forces have repelled two Houthi attacks on their positions on the eastern and western outskirts of the southern city of Taiz.

Rashad Al-Alimi, the chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, on Tuesday convened a meeting in the southern port city of Aden with the security and military committee tasked with unifying units under the Riyadh Agreement.

The official news agency reported that the Yemeni leader met committee members to discuss unifying the military and enhancing its capabilities to combat the Houthis and Al-Qaeda.