At least 45 Yemeni government personnel have been killed in Houthi attacks, government sources have said.
The Iran-backed rebels said they had begun a large-scale operation in the country. The attacks hit Yemen's Marib and Hadhramaut provinces.
It follows a bout of heavy fighting last month when Yemen's internationally recognised government said it had repelled a Houthi assault south of the port city of Hodeidah. Dozens were reported killed in the most violent clashes in years.
Yemeni State Minister Waleed Al Qudaimi said at that time that the attacks killed at least 15 government personnel in the battle after what he described as a “heroic confrontation” that left more than 50 Houthi rebels dead and dozens wounded.
Saudi Arabia supports the Yemeni government. Fighting with the Houthis has lessened since an agreement was signed in 2022, but the rebels escalated attacks against Saudi ships in the Red Sea and Saudi oil facilities in recent weeks.
They say the attacks are in response to Saudi Arabia's “blockade” on Houthi-controlled areas, including ports and the Sanaa International Airport.
Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes on what it said were Houthi military facilities and said it would protect commercial shipping, accusing the Houthis of serving foreign agendas.
The escalation has threatened to bring back conflict to Yemen, where war killed hundreds of thousands of people after the Houthis stormed the capital Sanaa in 2014. This prompted Saudi Arabia to intervene at the head of an Arab coalition.
Saudi Arabia also said it launched an international maritime alliance to protect the Red Sea and the Bab Al Mandeb Strait – which is essential for Saudi exports – from Houthi attacks.
