A surprise Houthi attack killed 11 fighters loyal to the Yemeni government in the country’s south early on Wednesday in Lahij province. The fighters belonged to the Southern Transitional Council (STC), the main southern separatist group. Mohammed al-Naqib, a spokesperson for STC, confirmed that the attack targeted their fighters and resulted in 11 deaths while repelling the rebels.
The Houthi attack was successfully thwarted by the government loyalists, according to a military official. The clashes lasted for five hours near the provincial borders of Taez, a governorate split between rebel and government control. While a lull in fighting has been observed in Yemen since April 2022, sporadic flareups like this one have occasionally occurred in various parts of the country.
The Houthi rebels have been engaged in conflict in Yemen since seizing control of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. The Saudi-led military intervention that followed has led to nine years of war, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and one of the worst humanitarian crises globally. Efforts to initiate a peace process have been hindered by recent Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, further complicating negotiations.
UN envoy Hans Grundberg previously announced a new ceasefire agreement and a commitment to a UN-led peace process in December. However, the peace process has faced challenges due to the ongoing aggression by the Houthi rebels. US special envoy Tim Lenderking highlighted that the Red Sea attacks are undermining the peace process, making successful negotiations extremely difficult as long as the Houthis continue their aggressive actions.
