Six Yemeni soldiers were killed when a landmine exploded under the convoy of the Yemeni Minister of Defence on Wednesday, a military source told The National.
At least five soldiers were also injured by the blast in the Sirwah district of the western province of Marib, the source said.
“The landmine blew up while the Minister of Defence, Brig Mohammed Al Maqdashi, was visiting army troops fighting the Houthi rebels,” the source said.
“The minister wasn’t harmed in the explosion but six of his guards were killed immediately.”
The source said most of those killed were relatives of the minister and the injured had been taken to the hospital in the city of Marib.
Fighting between Yemeni troops and Houthi rebels continued in Sirwah and Al Jawf province in northern Yemen.
More than 10 Houthi fighters were killed and several wounded when the Joint Forces in Hodeidah thwarted two attempts to take over sites in the eastern city of Al Duraihimi, Joint Forces spokesman Col Wathah Al Dubaish told The National.
“The Houthi rebels tried to infiltrate sites controlled by our forces in eastern Al Duraihimi city earlier on Wednesday," Col Al Dubaish said. "The attempt was completely foiled."
He said the Joint Forces also destroyed a tank and an armoured vehicle.
On Tuesday, UN special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths warned that an escalation in violence is putting peace efforts at risk of collapse.
“The military situation has grown increasingly dire,” Mr Griffiths told the UN Security Council.
