ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 Yemeni government soldiers and 50 Houthi fighters have been killed in fierce fighting across the country's western frontlines since Thursday, medical officials told Xinhua Friday.
A medical official on the Red Sea coastal front in Hodeidah province said 14 government soldiers have been killed in fighting there since the Houthis launched a large-scale offensive early Friday.
Separately, another medical official on the front in the neighboring Taiz province said 26 government soldiers have been killed in clashes that began Thursday and continued into Friday.
Meanwhile, medical sources in Houthi-controlled areas said hospitals in Hodeidah have received the bodies of at least 50 Houthi fighters killed on the Hodeidah and Taiz fronts.
The escalation intensified on Friday as both sides sent more troops, armored vehicles and equipment to the two fronts, according to military sources.
The latest escalation marks some of the heaviest ground fighting in western Yemen in recent years, raising concerns of a broader return to large-scale hostilities after years of relative calm across many of the country's frontlines.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government. ■
