At least 18 people died today in clashes between supporters of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and Shiite rebels advancing on a town bordering Aden, where the internationally backed leader has sought refuge, a local official said.
The clashes erupted in Huta, capital of the southern Lahj province, when the pro-Hadi "popular committees" were resisting a rebel advance, the official said.
The rebels, who reached Huta's northern entrance yesterday, pressed on towards the city centre where they clashed with the popular committees, the source added.
They traded gunfire near the local adminstration headquarters and the police complex, security officials told AFP, confirming that 13 Huthis and five pro-Hadi fighters were killed.
