Defense Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan with coalition air force fighters at King Fahd Airbase in Taif on Sunday. Prince Mohammed and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed also reviewed the outcome of the Saudi-led alliance’s military operation to restore legitimacy in Yemen. (SPA)

Forces loyal to the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in the strategically important central city of Taiz took back several districts from the Iran-allied Houthi militia amid heavy fighting on Sunday, residents said.

At least 90 were killed in heavy clashes over three Yemeni cities on Sunday between anti-Houthi fighters and forces loyal to deposed leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The fighting took place in the Western Yemeni cities Maareb, Taiz and Aden, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.

The reverses deal a blow to the Houthis in an area they have controlled largely unopposed for more than a month. They may be a sign that more than a month of Saudi-led airstrikes against Houthi forces have emboldened armed opposition groups.

Saudi Border Guards on Saturday evening killed at least 15 Houthis near the Kingdom’s frontier in two vehicles, a Saudi official told Al Arabiya News Channel.

In the incident, which took place close to Jazan, Border Guards fired at the Houthi squad from an 800-meter distance using an anti-tank weapon, the official told an Al Arabiya correspondent.

The Saudi Border Guards are also currently on alert in Najran, another southwestern border city.

Official sources said the Border Guards in the Harth sector used RPGs and machine guns to destroy the truck which was carrying ammunition for the Houthis.

The truck was loaded with weapons from the headquarters of the 105 Brigade that is now under Houthi control.

Informed sources said the Saudi forces continue bombing the areas where the Yemeni rebels were firing from in order to block their infiltration attempt.

In another development, Yemeni Foreign Minister Riad Yassine rejected a call for peace talks issued by Saleh and said the Saudi-led military campaign had not ended.

“These calls are unacceptable after all the destruction Ali Abdullah Saleh has caused. There can be no place for Saleh in any future political talks,” Yassine told a London news conference.

“Operation Decisive Storm has not ended,” said Yassine. “There will be no deal with the Houthis whatsoever until they withdraw from areas under their control,” such as Sanaa.

He said there would be no need for the coalition to deploy ground troops in Yemen because 70 percent of Yemen was not under Houthi or Saleh’s control.

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