ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Intense battles between Yemen's government forces and the Houthi militia continued on Tuesday, expanding across the country's oil-rich southern province of Shabwa, a military official told Xinhua.
Several units of the pro-government forces engaged in intense confrontations with the Houthis over the control of Usaylan and Bayhan districts in Shabwa province within the past 24 hours, the local military source said on condition of anonymity.
"Deadly fighting is still taking place in Shabwa as both warring sides brought large reinforcements aiming at expanding the battles to include new surrounding areas," he said.
He said that "more than 54 members of the pro-government forces were killed in the ongoing fighting."
The Houthis fired a barrage of missiles against the government-held positions and attempted to curb the progress of the southern Giants Brigades troops towards Bayhan, he added.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition carried out a series of airstrikes and bombed various Houthi-held sites in different areas of Shabwa during the past 24 hours.
An official of Shabwa's local authority confirmed to Xinhua that "the precise bombardment conducted by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition largely supported the pro-government forces to advance and capture key areas from Houthis in Shabwa."
He said anonymously that "the battles are still taking place and nearly 112 of the Houthi rebels were killed either by airstrikes or during armed confrontations with the pro-government forces within the past 24 hours."
He noted that the local government backed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition is planning to continue the military operations till recapturing all the areas in Shabwa and securing the strategic oil-rich province.
Earlier in the day, additional military units of the pro-government forces were dispatched from the country's southern port city of Aden to participate in the ongoing fighting against Houthis in Shabwa.
On the other side, the Houthi militia mobilized its fighters to Shabwa's battlefield and deployed scores of others across the areas heading to the neighboring provinces of al-Bayda and Marib.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels made substantial advances on the battlefield in September, capturing Bayhan and other key areas in Shabwa after seizing al-Bayda and most areas of Marib.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since the Houthi militia overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.
Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthis forced him into exile. Enditem
