Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of launching 26 strikes in 24 hours

The war in Yemen intensifies with mounting clashes and reciprocal attacks between Saudi forces and the Houthis.Yemen’s Houthi rebels have said Saudi Arabia carried out 26 strikes against areas under the group’s control in the past 24 hours, as the two sides continue trading attacks amid an escalating war in Yemen, according to the AFP news agency.On Friday, the group claimed Saudi strikes on Houthi-held territory had reached 300 over the past week alone, hitting positions across the areas it controls, AFP reported.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Italy to deploy warships to protect shipping through Bab al-Mandeblist 2 of 3Pakistan pledges full committment to defence of Saudi Arabialist 3 of 3In Yemen, war at home and in the region drives up pricesend of listYemen’s government, backed by Saudi Arabia, said on Friday its forces had killed 30 Houthi rebels and wounded more than 60 in clashes in the al-Wazi’iyah district of Taiz province, one of several fronts where combat has picked up this week.The exchange has come on the heels of a widening escalation of fighting in Yemen between the government’s military and the Houthi fighters.Tens of thousands marched through Sanaa on Friday in a show of support for the Iran-backed Houthis and against Saudi Arabia, as the rebels press gains that have brought large stretches of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, under their control.Earlier this week, the intensifying attacks between the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels killed at least five people, including three children, according to reports from both sides.Saudi Arabia said one person was killed in the Taif governorate after a Houthi drone was intercepted, while Houthi-linked media reported deaths from Saudi strikes in Taiz and the town of Abs.The escalation has drawn in Washington, though reluctantly.