21 killed in armed confrontations in Yemen

A total of 21 people were killed Wednesday in intense armed confrontations between Yemen's government forces and the Houthi group in the country's southern province of Lahj, said a military official.

The military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said ferocious armed confrontations erupted on the Shurayjah front in the north of Lahj, where the government forces and the Houthi militants exchanged artillery fire and shelling.

The fierce fighting resulted in the deaths of 12 government soldiers, including a site commander, and the injury of eight others. Meanwhile, nine Houthi militants were killed and more than 15 injured in the fighting.

The clashes in Lahj come just days after similar fighting between the two warring parties in the southern province of Dhalea and neighboring areas, underscoring the escalating tensions across multiple fronts in Yemen.

Yemen has remained in a fragile calm since Oct. 2, 2022, when the United Nations announced the failure of the Yemeni government and the Houthi group to extend and expand the six-month truce that had been in place.

As hopes for a peaceful resolution to the long-standing Yemeni conflict continue to diminish, there are growing concerns about the potential resumption of hostilities and the further deterioration of the already dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

Yemen has been embroiled in a protracted civil conflict since 2014, when the Houthis seized control of the capital, Sanaa. In 2015, a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in an attempt to restore the government.

Despite diplomatic efforts over the years, neither side has shown willingness to revive negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict, which, according to UN estimates, has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and pushed millions to the brink of famine.