By Mohammed al-Samei

SANAA, Yemen 

Pro-government forces on Tuesday recaptured two strategic mountains in Yemen’s central city of Taiz following fierce clashes with Shia Houthi militiamen and their allies, according to pro-government sources.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the Yemeni government’s media center reported that army troops and pro-government "popular resistance" forces had captured two mountains -- Al-Owaid and Al-Nuba -- from the Houthis and allied forces loyal former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Located in the Maqbana directorate of western Taiz, the two mountains are considered strategically important as they both overlook the main road linking the provinces of Taiz and Hudeida.

On Saturday, government forces launched a military campaign -- "Operation Golden Spear" -- aimed at recapturing Houthi and pro-Saleh positions in the southern Aden province and the city of Taiz with the help of a Saudi-led anti-Houthi military coalition.

Within the context of the operation, pro-government forces have already captured the coastal town of Dhubab and the Al-Omary army camp near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Yemen has been racked by chaos since late 2014, when the Houthis and their allies overran capital Sanaa and other parts of the country, forcing President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and his Saudi-backed government to temporarily flee to Riyadh.

In March of last year, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive military campaign aimed at reversing Houthi gains in Yemen and restoring Hadi’s embattled government.

Last year, the Yemeni government and the Houthis entered into UN-sponsored talks aimed at resolving the conflict, in which at least 6,400 people are believed to have been killed to date.