75 Killed, Scores Wounded in Fierce Fighting on Yemen-Saudi Border

Three Days of Fighting Rages Into Weekend

Three days of fierce fighting, punctuated by Saudi airstrikes and Houthi artillery fire, has raged along the Yemen-Saudi border in Hajjah Province, leaving at least 75 combatants killed and scores of others wounded.

Officials said 40 Houthis and 35 pro-Saudi troops were killed, with 50 Houthis and an unspecified number of Saudi troops wounded, which was believed to be in the “dozens.” Dozens of armored vehicles were destroyed on both sides.

While most of the fighting in the Yemen War has been militias and irregular troops clashing with Saudi warplanes looming overhead, this is one of the first battles to involve major amounts of armored gear on both sides.

This fighting is raging despite a week-long ceasefire spanning the entire period. Pro-Saudi troops have seized multiple cities during the ceasefire, while blaming the Houthis for all violations. The Houthis have expressed annoyance at the UN Special Envoy for failing to criticize the violations by the Saudi forces.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.