ADEN, Yemen, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni government forces successfully thwarted several Houthi offensives in two provinces early Monday, a military official said.

Government troops engaged in fierce combat with Houthi fighters who launched a pre-dawn assault on military positions in the southwestern province of Taiz, the official said on condition of anonymity.

"The Houthi attackers attempted to breach our defensive lines shortly after midnight but were met with coordinated resistance. Four Houthi militants were killed during the confrontation," said the source.

In the central province of Marib, government forces repelled a series of coordinated Houthi attacks targeting key areas controlled by the government in the Harib district and other areas. The source confirmed that the Houthi group suffered casualties and equipment losses during the failed offensives.

The Houthi attacks represent a desperate attempt to seize strategic energy resources, particularly in the oil-rich province of Marib, according to the official.

The intensified fighting comes amid stalled peace initiatives, as both sides continue to vie for control over Yemen's resource-rich regions despite international calls for de-escalation.

Last week, UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg briefed the United Nations Security Council on deteriorating conditions that could reignite widespread hostilities in the war-torn nation, expressing concern about ongoing military activities across multiple regions.

"We have seen a rise in rhetoric from the parties to the conflict, who pre-position themselves publicly for military confrontation. We must not allow this to happen," Grundberg told the Security Council.

Yemen has been in a state of uneasy calm since Oct. 2, 2022, when the government and the Houthi group failed to renew and expand a UN-brokered truce.

According to UN estimates, the conflict, since its onset in late 2014, has killed hundreds of thousands of people and pushed millions to the brink of famine in Yemen. Enditem

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