Gov't forces thwart rebel attack in Yemen's Taiz

SANAA, Yemen

Government forces repelled a rebel attack in Yemen's southwestern Taiz province on Tuesday, amid reports of casualties, according to a local military spokesman.

"Houthi rebels launched a fierce attack in an attempt to capture the strategic al-Hamra plateau in western Taiz," Colonel Waddah al-Dabesh told Anadolu Agency.

He said scores of rebels were killed and injured when government forces thwarted the attack.

The spokesman, however, did not specify whether there were any casualties among government forces.

There was no comment from the Houthi group on the claim.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Since then, tens of thousands of Yemenis, including numerous civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, while another 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN.

* Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara