Houthi supporters attend a rally against the US airstrikes on Yemen and the Israeli offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, March 8, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

ADEN, Yemen - Intense clashes broke out between pro-government forces and Houthi fighters in Yemen's southern province of Al-Dhalea, leaving at least ten people dead and 15 others injured, a military official told Xinhua on Thursday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Houthis launched a large assault late Wednesday on the Bab Ghalaq fronts, northwest of Al-Dhalea province, sparking fierce fighting with soldiers of the joint pro-government Yemeni forces stationed there.

The military official confirmed that the fighting resulted in the killing of four soldiers and six Houthi fighters, while 15 others from both sides were injured

The official confirmed that the fighting resulted in the killing of four soldiers and six Houthi fighters, while 15 others from both sides were injured. The critically injured pro-government soldiers were transferred to hospitals in the southern port city of Aden for treatment.

The recent escalation occurred despite appeals by the United Nations for restraint from both sides to protect tentative progress toward ending Yemen's nine-year civil war. During a UN Security Council session last week, UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg urged the warring parties to reduce rising hostilities and "refrain from provocations" that could jeopardize nascent peace efforts.

Yemen's protracted conflict erupted in 2014 when the Houthis seized control of the capital Sanaa, sparking one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises. In 2015, a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in an attempt to restore the government.

Despite multiple diplomatic endeavors over the years, neither side has demonstrated the requisite will to revive negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict that, according to United Nations estimates, has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and pushed millions more to the brink of famine.