SANAA, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Heavy fighting between the Yemeni government army and Houthi rebels raged in the central province of al-Bayda on Thursday as the government forces recaptured another strategic mountain, a government military source said.
The fighting took place in two mountainous areas of Hisn al-Nasir and Akabat al-Kontho in the northeastern district of Nati, which is under the control of the Houthi rebels. Both mountainous areas overlook the adjacent strategic district of Bayhan in the neighboring eastern province of Shabwa.
"The Houthi militia is trying to advance to Bayhan district to lay siege to the south of Marib Province," the military source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
However, during the fighting, the government forces recaptured Barbara mountain, a strategic height overlooking the Houthi rebels' positions in Nati district, the source said.
The Houthi rebels have made no comment yet on the fighting.
Yemen's civil war flared up in late 2014 when the Houthi group seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. Enditem
