Shi’ite Houthi rebels ride on a patrol truck in Sanaa November 4, 2014.

At least 25 members of Houthi rebels were killed in an ambush by tribesmen near the town of Radaa, which is 100 miles south east of the capital Sanaa, Al Arabiya correspondent reported, in a fresh wave of violence in war-entrenched Yemen.

The tribesmen in Radaa, a mostly-Sunni district, reportedly destroyed two tanks and three armored vehicles used by the Houthi rebels.

An attack by Houthi militas earlier on Thursday has killed at least 15 members of local tribes, including five women, in Rada during heavy artillery shelling, according Agence France Presse. The clash left 25 more people wounded.

Yemen has plunged into war since former mass protests led to the resignation of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2012. Yemen has been beset for years by an al-Qaeda-led insurgency that has staged dozens of suicide attacks against security personnel and army forces. Poverty and unemployment also take a huge toll on Yemen.

But the Shiite militias have especially shocked the region with their surprise takeover of the capital Sanaa on Sep. 21.

The Houthis, who are members of the Zaydi sect of Shi’ite Islam that predominates in Northern Yemen, have expanded their presence throughout the country taking advantage of the disarray in the national army and security forces.

Saleh, arguably the most influential leader Yemen has known for decades, has been accused of backing the rebels in his attempt to return to power.

 
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