Yemeni Army forces backed by the Saudi-led Arab coalition have launched a military operation against Houthi positions in Hajjah province’s Harad and Midi directorates, according to a statement released Monday by the Yemeni army.

"Our forces have retaken several military sites in Harad and are now advancing on the center of the directorate," it added.

Impoverished Yemen has been wracked by chaos since late 2014, when the Houthis overran capital Sanaa and other parts of the country.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a major air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and shoring up Yemen’s embattled Saudi-backed government.