Taiz siege: Deadly battles rage

Yemeni tribesmen from the Popular Resistance Committees, supporting forces loyal to Yemen's exiled president, ride military vehicles in Taez on Monday, as deadly clashes raged between pro-Iran rebels and Yemeni government forces battling to secure an entrance to the besieged city, military sources said. (AFP)

ADEN: Deadly clashes raged on Monday between Iran-backed rebels and Yemeni government forces battling to secure an entrance to the besieged city of Taiz, military sources said. Backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, Yemeni troops launched an offensive last week to break the rebel siege on Yemen’s flashpoint third city, in the country’s southwest. The heaviest fighting Monday was near its western entrance where air strikes by the Arab coalition and ground battles left 11 dead among Houthi rebels and their allies, loyalist military sources said.