Shia Houthis kill 23 Yemeni government soldiers

Twenty three Yemeni government soldiers have reportedly been killed by Shia Houthi fighters in two separate incidents in northern Yemen. Fifteen Yemeni government troopers lost their lives in an ambush on a military supply convoy in the Wadi al-Jabara district, while the other 8 soldiers were killed in clashes in the city of Saada. The Yemeni offensive against Shia-Zaidi Houthis, which was joined by Riyadh (Saudia Arabia) in November, has so far claimed the lives of many civilians and displaced thousands of others from their homes in northern villages. The developments come as the Houthi fighters offered to accept the six conditions for a truce originally set by the government at the end of last month. Yemen has stepped up its military operation in the region despite the offer by the Houthi leader to end the six-month conflict.