Yemen’s Houthis launch major attacks on Saudi-backed forces (VIDEOS)

The Iranian-backed Shia group reportedly killed at least 30 government soldiers, raising fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they launched coordinated drone and ballistic missile attacks on several camps belonging to forces of the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government on Thursday. The flare-up follows four years of relative calm in the small Arab nation, which has been plagued by civil war since 2014 and sits at a strategic shipping chokepoint on the Red Sea.The Houthis struck troops, depots, and camps in three provinces across central and eastern Yemen after detecting a buildup of Saudi-backed forces preparing for an offensive, the group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a statement.“The operation resulted in the death and injury of hundreds of Saudi enemy mercenaries,” he said, warning Riyadh against any further “escalation.” Government forces acknowledged that some of their soldiers had been killed or wounded but did not provide figures.Reuters cited government sources as saying that at least 30 soldiers were killed.Reports are emerging of a significant Houthi assault on the Saudi backed Yemen Emergency Forces encampment...