At least five Houthis and one government soldier were killed and others injured on Sunday when fighting erupted along the Hareeb front south of Nihm district, east of the capital Sana’a.

A military official in Marib governorate told Almasdar Online that the Houthis launched the offensive at dawn in an attempt to make a breakthrough after they failed to advance in Jabal Al-Bayad, at the heart of the front on Saturday.

While the Houthis were initially able to take control of Jabal Sahrah, the government forces launched a counter-offensive and regained control of the strategic position, the official said. The bodies of three Houthis remain at the site, he noted.

Amid the renewed fighting along frontlines east of Sana’a, a ballistc missile on Saturday killed more than 110 army soldiers, mostly belonging to the 4th Presidential Protection Brigade, training at the Reception camp in Marib. A drone was seen flying in the area prior to that attack.

Meanwhile, government forces shot down a Houthi drone in the same area as it approached government forces' positions.

On Sunday, government forces launched a pre-emptive attack on Houthi positions in Jabal Al-Bayad, after major reinforcements by the Houthis. The attack killed 13 Houthis and wounded two, while two government soldiers were killed, according to one of the field commanders in Nihm.