Yemen National Army units have liberated more areas in Maqbanah District, west of Taiz City, from the rebel Houthi group and captured Awadh Al-Brak, the second-in-command of the group in the district.

Following an attack on the rebel Houthis and their allied renegade militants loyal to the now-ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, the national army liberated Jabal al-Muqanna', Tabbat al-Khazzan, and al-Dashen area south of Maqbanah District, a military source told the official Yemeni news agency SABA.

Dozens of rebels were killed and injured in the hours-long battles and the rest fled away, the source said.

Meanwhile, jet fighters from the Arab Coalition carried out airstrikes on the positions and reinforcements of the rebels in Mafraq al-Wazeeya, al-Aqma and Khaled Camp. Violent explosions followed the airstrikes.

Three other airstrikes conducted by the Coalition on al-Kasara, Al-Hameli bridge, Jabal Shu'ayb and al-Barada killed a large number of rebels and destroyed their military equipment.