Ten soldiers killed in Yemen despite peace efforts

Dozens of families were displaced after attack by Houthi rebels

A pro-government military parade in Yemen's Marib province. Renewed fighting there comes after Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish ties. AFP

Ten soldiers have been killed in renewed fighting in Yemen, despite diplomatic efforts to halt the long-running war in the Arab world's poorest country.

The clashes took place in oil-rich Marib province, one of the main battlegrounds and the scene of sporadic fighting even during a lull in hostilities over the past year.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked a mountainous area and have been engaged in a build-up of forces in the region, two military sources told AFP on Wednesday.

“The Houthis launched an attack on hills overlooking Harib district, south of Marib, and made progress on that front, causing the displacement of dozens of families,” one source said.

“At least 10 soldiers were killed, in addition to an unknown number of attackers.”

The details of the clash were confirmed by a second military official.

The fighting comes a month after at least four soldiers were killed in the same district, and dents optimism after Saudi Arabia and Iran, which both back opposing sides, agreed to restore diplomatic ties.

An exchange of hundreds of prisoners was agreed on this week and Hans Grundberg, the UN's Yemen envoy, has said “intense diplomatic efforts” are under way to strike a peace deal.

A UN-brokered truce broke down in October, six months after it first came into effect.

Under the agreement, Sanaa International Airport became operational for the first time in six years, giving reprieve for at least 40,000 people who benefitted from flights to and from the Houthi-controlled capital.

Ships carrying fuel into Hodeidah port also began to arrive during a period of significantly reduced violence on front lines. After the truce broke down, an all-out return to war did not take place, despite reports of drone attacks by the Houthis in key cities, including Taiz.

Yemen is in its eighth year of war since the Iran-backed Houthis took over Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene on behalf of the government to restore it to power.