At least 18 fighters have been killed in clashes between forces aligned with the internationally recognized government and Houthi rebels in southwestern Yemen, two officers told AFP on Thursday.

The hostilities, which broke out on Wednesday, were triggered by a Houthi attack near the frontline that separates Lakhz province, which is controlled by the Southern Transitional Council (STC), from rebel-held areas of Taiz province, a spokesman said. SMN, Mohammed al-Naqib.

Forces close to the Council “successfully repelled the attack, but five soldiers were martyred and others were injured,” he explained.

For his part, an officer of the movement described as close to Iran said that 13 rebels, including an officer, were killed in the fighting.

The fighting took place even though Yemen has been relatively calm since a ceasefire was agreed in April 2022 under the auspices of the UN. However, the situation remains extremely precarious in the country and there are sporadic outbreaks of violence.

The internationally recognized attack condemned the “insidious attack”.

Via X, Information Minister Muammar al-Eriani spoke of “heavy casualties” inflicted on the Houthi “terrorist militia,” without giving an account.

In April, a surprise attack by the Houthis claimed the lives of 11 members of the forces that pledge allegiance to the internationally recognized government.

The Shiite rebel movement Ansar Allah (“Supporters of God”), better known by the family name of its leaders, the Houthis, seized most of northern Yemen, including the capital, in 2014 and has continued to advance, sparking the intervention in March 2015 of a Saudi-led military alliance alongside the internationally recognized government.

Nine years of war have left tens of thousands dead and plunged the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula into a major humanitarian crisis.

In December, UN High Commissioner Hans Grudberg announced that progress had been made in agreeing a road map to restore lasting peace in Yemen, with the warring parties committing to a new ceasefire.

But the repeated attacks by the Houthis in recent months against commercial and then warships off Yemen as a sign of “solidarity” with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where the Israel-Hamas war is raging, and the reaction of the US and its allies, who deployed forces to protect international shipping and since January have been shelling rebel positions, have raised several doubts about the fate of peace efforts in the country.