Fierce fighting around Taiz leaves more than 60 dead in Yemen

Fighting between Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels around Taiz has killed more than 60 people, including fighters and civilians, according to military and medical sources cited by Agence France-Presse on Saturday.

Three Yemeni military sources told AFP that 26 government troops were killed in several hours of fighting in southwestern Yemen. Medical and military sources from the Iran-backed Houthis said 31 rebel fighters were killed.

A medical source in the government-held city of Taiz told AFP that a missile strike killed six civilians who were riding a bus and injured seven. The casualty figures could not be independently confirmed.

The latest fighting is part of a wider escalation along front lines in Taiz and neighbouring Hodeidah province, with the Houthis trying to push toward the Red Sea coast and the strategic port of al-Makha, also known as Mocha. Government forces say they have launched counter-attacks and retaken several positions west of Taiz.

The fighting has also sparked fears of renewed displacement in the area where fighting has escalated in recent days.

The fighting is the latest escalation in Yemen’s long war between the Iran-aligned Houthis and the internationally recognised government, backed by Saudi Arabia. Both sides have attributed civilian casualties and damage to the other.