Nine Houthis killed in air raid on Taiz

Nine elements from Houthi militias and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh have been killed during an air raid launched by the Arab Coalition on their strongholds in Taiz. According to local sources, the raid targeted a convoy of military vehicles, leading to the killing of Houthi leader Mohamed Hael Sanan and eight other militants in addition to the injury of 21 others and the destruction of military vehicles.

The Yemeni forces managed to reach to the desalination plant between Yakhtel and the power statation in Mokha front on the wrstern coast of Taiz. They also bombarded sites controlled by the insurgents at Nar Mountain in the same area.

Yemeni Local Administration Minister Abdel Raqeeb Fatah accused the militants of preventing the aids allocated for the residents of Khairan governorate, including drugs for children. He added that the measure came to punish the people for their refusal to respond to their demands to push their sons in the fight against the Yemeni troops.

In the same context, Arab Coalition's fighter jets destroyed a store of weapons in Sana'a Aviation College. The attack came hours after the clashes between the Houthi militias and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh over financial differences leading to the killing of a large number from the two parties.

On the political side, UN Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed is scheduled to begin a new round of negotiations to resume the political process in the divided country. According to sources, the international official is scheduled to conduct a tour, including Saudi, Oman and Yemen's temporary capital of Aden.

The envoy will meet with the representatives of the conflicting parties and leaders of the regional powers performing a major role in the Yemeni crisis. The source revealed that the tour comes upon orders from the International Commission for Yemen which met last week.

The legitimate government expressed readiness to meet with the international official, while Houthi militias refused to receive him in Sana'a amid accusations to the United Nations of adopting biased situation towards the Yemeni crisis.