Clashes in the Yemeni capital have killed at least 234 people and wounded 400 since December 1, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday.

"Now we have 400 wounded reported and 234 dead," Sanaa-based ICRC spokeswoman Soumaya Beltifa told AFP, in reference to fighting between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh -- who was himself killed on Monday.

Strongman Saleh had on Saturday bypassed his Houthi allies of three years, telling the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen he was ready to negotiate if the crippling siege could be lifted.

But the move backfired. Saleh was killed as fighting raged between his forces and the Iran-backed Houthis for control of the capital -- a new front in the war.

Yemen's war has left thousands dead since 2015, led to what the United Nations now labels the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and has deepened tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

source: Alarabiya