Yemeni army gains control of new areas in Saada

Yemeni soldiers ride in a pickup truck lined-up during a graduation ceremony for a new batch of cadets in the northwestern city of Saada on March 2, 2019. (File/AFP)

• The Yemeni forces liberated the areas after clashes that killed and wounded dozens of Iran-backed Houthis
• The coalition, which includes Saudi Arabia, intervened in 2015 to help restore the government

DUBAI: The Yemeni army regained control of the Al-Safra district in northern Saada on Saturday, Yemen’s state news agency, Saba, reported.

A military source said the Yemeni forces, with the support of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition, liberated the areas after clashes that killed and wounded dozens of Iran-backed Houthis.

The war in Yemen was triggered when the Houthis seized control of the capital Sanaa in 2014. The coalition, which includes Saudi Arabia, intervened in 2015 to help restore the government.