Seven fighters killed in Yemen clashes: loyalist officer

Seven fighters were killed in clashes between rebels and loyalists in southwest Yemen today, a loyalist officer said.
Four rebels and three pro-government fighters died on the edge of Taez and Lahj provinces in fighting for control of an area overlooking the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, the officer said.
The busy shipping lane links the Suez Canal and the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
Fighting between the Huthi rebels and fighters loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi has spiked on several fronts since UN-backed peace talks were suspended in early August.
A Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of Hadi's government in March 2015, after the Huthis overran much of the country including the capital Sanaa.

Since the coalition started its air campaign, more than 6,700 people have been killed and more than three million have been displaced, the United Nations says.