At least 10 Yemeni government soldiers were killed in a new Houthi militia attack on Wednesday in the volatile province of Marib in the country's center.
The most recent strike, which broke a truce that had mainly held since last April, took place in the midst of increasing diplomatic attempts to end the eight-year war.
The Houthis "launched an attack on hills overlooking Harib district, south of Marib, and achieved gains on that front, leading to the displacement of dozens of civilians," according to a Yemeni military source. A minimum of ten troops and an unknown number of assailants perished.
After Saudi Arabia and Iran, which back opposite sides in the fight, resolved to reestablish diplomatic ties, the conflict dashes new optimism. Furthermore, it occurs one month after at least four troops were killed in the same neighborhood.
The Houthis want to send a strong political message that the Riyadh-Tehran pact does not imply that they would quietly succumb, according to Maged Al-Madhaji, a specialist at the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies think tank. The article claims that the Houthis prefer a military conflict over the continuing negotiations.
Hans Grundberg, the special representative of the UN secretary general for Yemen, indicated last week that hundreds of prisoners will be swapped and that "intensive diplomatic efforts" were being undertaken to mediate a peace deal.
In an open letter released on Wednesday, organizations in Yemen, including Oxfam and Save the Children, urged the warring parties to cease hostilities and move toward a "inclusive Yemen peace process."