Aden — The Yemeni government has renewed its call for UN relief and humanitarian organizations to move to the temporary capital, Aden, so that they can continue their work and run relief convoys far away from the intervention of Houthi militias.

The government is committed to providing all support to UN relief organizations to operate under international standards and protocols, said Yemeni Minister of Local Administration, Head of Higher Committee for Relief Abdul Raqib Fatah.

He said the militias’ intervention undermines the relief process and prevents the humanitarian access to needy people.

Meanwhile, Yemeni Vice President Ali Mohsen Saleh urged all political parties and national organizations to close their ranks and exert strenuous efforts to confront the Iranian-backed Houthi militias.

He discussed with a number of leaders of the Nasserite Popular Unionist Party the latest developments and various issues, especially the role of political parties, in supporting the legitimate and world recognized government led by President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi.

He stressed that the legitimate political leadership is continuing to restore normalcy in the state with local, regional and international support.

In a related development, Yemeni medical sources confirmed the killing of 70 elements of Iran-backed Houthi coup militias in clashes and air raids during the past two days.

According to media center of the Fifth Military Area, the sources affirmed that the 70 bodies arrived at Hajjah hospitals after fierce clashes with government's forces.

The Yemeni army and allied fighters on Friday drove Houthi militants from a town that was one of the last positions they held in the country's south, military sources and local officials said.

The forces advanced into Bayhan, about 300 km (190 miles) southeast of the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, killing dozens of the militants in clashes, the sources said.

Bayhan is important in Yemen's war because it is located on a major road linking Shabwa province with Marib province, part of which is held by the Houthis, to the north. The army's advance means that the Houthis have been expelled from most of Shabwa, sources said.

The government-run Sabanew agency said the remaining Houthis had fled after battles for strategic positions in the Bayhan area which had left hundreds of them dead and wounded. — Agencies