Yemen army says it has repelled 5 Houthi ground attacks

The Yemeni army on Saturday said it had repelled five ground attacks by Houthi militias, part of a continuing series of violations of the UN-backed truce.

The Iranian-backed Houthi militia committed 116 violations of the Yemeni truce within 48 hours in five northern, western, and eastern provinces, according to a Yemeni army statement.

The Yemeni army repelled five ground attacks by Houthi groups that attempted to infiltrate military sites in Marib and Hajjah provinces, the statement said.

He said Houthi militia attacks attempted to penetrate the southern fronts of Marib and the western front of Bani Hassan in Hajjah on the Red Sea.

The statement said the Yemeni army monitored 116 violations of the UN truce by the Houthis on Thursday and Friday, including 52 in Hodeidah, 37 in Taiz, 15 in Marib, 8 in Hajjah and 4 in the main stronghold of the coup militias in Saada.

The statement said Houthi militias used Katyusha rockets to attack Yemeni army military positions with three Katyusha rockets that targeted positions south of Marib.

The Houthis are bringing in reinforcements, creating new sites, digging trenches and fortifying various fronts, he said.

He said the Iranian-backed Houthi militias continue to violate the UN truce on all fronts, as the National Army and the Joint Resistance forces abide by the UN-brokered ceasefire.

These developments mark a new escalation by the Houthis against the UN-backed truce, which came into effect on 2 April and is only about 12 days old.

It is also a dangerous escalation in the face of the UN movement seeking to extend and build on the truce to launch a comprehensive peace process, as militias are using the fragile peace to regroup their military ranks and bring fighters to the lines of fire, experts said.