SANAA, April 23 (Xinhua) -- At least 30 fighters were killed in fighting between the Yemeni government forces and Houthi militia in the northern province of Saada over the past 48 hours, a local government military source told Xinhua on Thursday.
The battle took place in a frontline in Baqim district, northern Saada.
"Ten soldiers and at least 20 Houthis were killed and dozens wounded from both sides," the source told Xinhua by phone on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea told his group's al-Masirah television that their fighters have inflicted heavy losses among the government forces in Baqim. He provided no more information.
Saada is the main stronghold of the Houthi goup, which controls much of the mountainous province, including Baqim.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of much of the country's north and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.
Last month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the Yemeni warring parties to "immediately cease hostilities, and do everything possible to counter a potential outbreak of COVID-19."
However, the fighting has been escalating on multiple frontlines. Enditem
