Coalition air raids and clashes at a Yemen army base near the Saudi border killed at least 30 Yemeni soldiers after troops attempted to defect to Houthi ranks, AFP reported Wednesday.
The incident took place on Tuesday at the 23rd Mechanized Brigade, stationed near the border with Saudi Arabia and left "at least 30 soldiers killed and dozens wounded" on both sides, a military source told AFP.
The source said that “dozens of soldiers defected and announced their support” for Shiite Houthi rebels, igniting clashes with pro-government troops and drawing the intervention of Saudi-led coalition jets.
"Armored vehicles and troop carriers were destroyed or damaged" in the air raids and clashes between rival units before the situation was brought under control, the source told AFP.
