SANAA: Rebels launched a raid on a city in northern Yemen, triggering fierce fighting with the army that claimed “huge casualties” on both sides, military sources said on Friday.
The fighting coincided with the arrival of UN humanitarian chief John Holmes on a three-day mission to draw the international community’s attention to the conflict and boost aid efforts.
The rebels launched the attack overnight on Saada, 240 km north of Sanaa, in an attempt to “take control of the Palace of the Republic,” a symbol of state authority, a military source said.
Heavy fighting ensued for nearly four hours with the army eventually repelling the attackers from different sides of the city and forcing them to retreat, according to another military source.
The battle resulted in “huge casualties on both sides,” the source said without elaborating.
In the neighboring province of Omran, the rebels fired volleys of shells into the strategic town of Sufyaan Harf, wounding nine civilians, tribal sources said late on Thursday.
Holmes visited Haradh in the northwestern province of Hajjah on Friday to inspect one of five camps sheltering some of the 150,000 people displaced by the conflict since 2004. He called for greater access to Yemen’s war displaced and urged donors to hastily respond to an emergency appeal for $23.5 million in aid.
