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Sanaa, Jan 2 (IANS) Forces loyal to Yemen's government launched a large-scale military operation against the Houthi militia in the country's southern oil-rich province of Shabwa, a government official said.
The pro-government forces including the southern Giants Brigades targeted the Houthi-held sites in Usaylan district of Shabwa, the official told Xinhua news agency.
Intense armed confrontations erupted between the two warring sides following the large-scale military operation, he said.
He said the pro-government forces achieved on-ground military progress and managed to capture a number of areas from the rebels in Usaylan.
Warplanes of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition are participating in the ongoing military operation through shelling the Houthi-held sites and backing the pro-government forces, according to the official.
Medical sources confirmed that nearly 12 soldiers of the pro-government forces were killed and several others injured as a result of the ongoing battles.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels made substantial advances on the battlefield in September 2021, capturing Bayhan and other key areas in Shabwa.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since the Houthi militia overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.
Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthis forced him into exile.
--IANS
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