Two days of severe clashes in the Bab al-Mandeb strait between fighters of the Houthi Ansarullah movement and pro-Hadi troops have claimed the lives of some 70 soldiers from both sides.

Some 70 other forces were also injured in Saturday clashes which erupted when forces loyal to Yemen’s resigned president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi launched an operation aimed at taking the coastal district of Dhubab, north of the strait which connects the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.

According to reports, Hadi-loyalist army commander Brigadier-General Abdul Aziz al-Majidi was killed in the clashes in which a large amount of equipment and arms were also destroyed.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia carries on with its relentless airstrikes against its impoverished neighbor.

A camel walks past fighters loyal to the Saudi-backed former Yemeni president as they hold a position during a military operation in the coastal district of Dhubab on January 7, 2017.

On Sunday, Saudi jets targeted the provinces of Sana’a, Sa’ada, Ma’rib, and Ta’izz, causing a number of casualties and destroying civilian infrastructure.

The Saudi war on Yemen, which has killed at least 11,400 Yemenis, was launched in March 2015 in an unsuccessful attempt to bring back Hadi’s government to power and undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement.

Saudi Arabian armored vehicles deployed in Yemen’s coastal district of Dhubab on January 7, 2017.

The Saudi war has taken a heavy toll on the country’s facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.