Dozens Killed in Clashes between Yemen Army, Shiite Rebels in 24 Hours

Clashes between government forces and Shiite Huthi rebels in northern Yemen have killed dozens in the 24 hours since a ceasefire between the two sides collapsed, tribal and military sources said Monday.

The fighting that started on Sunday continued intermittently on Monday in the area around Jabal al-Dhine, a mountainous region some 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of the capital Sanaa, the sources said.

Government forces repelled three rebel attacks, which were supported by armed tribesmen, killing 23 attackers, a tribal source said.

The assaults in the Jabal al-Dhine area on the southern entrance to the tense Amran province also left "several" soldiers dead, the source added. A military official told AFP three soldiers had been killed late on Sunday.

Rebels have advanced to the city of Hamdan in Sanaa province, where the Yemeni capital is located, sparking clashes that killed 12 tribal fighters and 11 Huthis, tribal and army sources said.

It was not possible to independently verify the tolls from the clashes.

The latest round of fighting between the Shiite Huthi rebels, known as Ansarullah, and government forces erupted on Sunday, ending an 11-day truce reached with mediation backed by United Nations envoy Jamal Benomar.

The Huthis are suspected of trying to broaden their sphere of influence as Yemen is split into six regions, pushing out from their mountain strongholds in the far north to areas closer to Sanaa.

The rebels complained Yemen would be divided into rich and poor regions under a federalization plan agreed in February following national talks as part of a political transition.

Huthis have been battling the central government for years, complaining of marginalization under ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was ousted in a 2012 uprising.

In February, they seized areas of the northern province of Amran in fighting with tribes that killed more than 150.