Battle in Yemen's Taiz kills scores of combatants: sources to AFP

Yemen's Houthis and Saudi-backed forces fought over an area located not far from a waterway that is crucial to global energy flows, killing 80 combatants over the past day, sources on both sides told AFP on Friday.

Fighting in Taiz has raged since the Iran-backed Houthis began a lightning offensive against the internationally-recognised, Saudi-backed government.

In their offensive, the Houthis also took control of the whole of the Red Sea coast, notably the area around the Bab al-Mandab strait, which is crucial not just for Saudi energy exports but for global shipping as a whole.

According to Houthi military sources, at least 55 anti-government fighters have been killed over the past 24 hours in fighting against government troops in the Taiz area.

Government sources meanwhile told AFP that 26 troops on their side had been killed.

Fighting around Taiz is raging on several fronts, including in highlands overlooking the coastal areas seized in recent weeks by the Houthis.

While the Houthis have seized swathes of territory, they have yet to wrest control of Taiz city, which is Yemen's third-largest after Sanaa and Aden.

On Thursday, the Houthis destroyed a bridge linking government-held areas to Aden, where the government is based, government sources told AFP.

The UN's special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grunberg, said Thursday he was alarmed by developments in the Taiz governorate, adding that the Houthis' operations pose "grave risks to the civilian population".

"Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected. Every effort must be made to prevent further harm and ensure safe and unhindered access to people in need," he said.