Aden, Dec 21 (IANS): Armed confrontations between pro-government forces and Houthi militants erupted in southwestern Yemen's Taiz province, leaving two soldiers dead and four others injured, a military official said.

The local pro-government official, who requested anonymity, said the clashes occurred on the Kalaba front, northeast of Taiz city, as Houthi militants attempted to advance into government-controlled positions during the past hours, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The Houthis are mobilising their fighters in several areas of Taiz, fearing on-ground advancement by the government forces," the official added.

On Thursday, the Yemeni armed forces loyal to the internationally recognised government declared their readiness to confront the Houthis, describing the group as being in a state of "confusion and weakness."

Yemen has been in a state of uneasy calm since October 2, 2022, when the government and the Houthi group failed to renew and expand a UN-brokered truce.

Despite years of diplomatic efforts, neither side has shown a willingness to resume negotiations to end the conflict, which the UN estimates has killed hundreds of thousands of people and pushed millions to the brink of famine.

Earlier in December, a Houthi drone attack on a popular market in Yemen's Taiz province killed six people and injured eight others.

The local pro-government military official, who requested anonymity, said on Sunday that "the Houthi bombing occurred in the Maqbanah district of Taiz during a busy market day when dozens of local residents were present."

The attack has drawn strong condemnation from the Yemeni government, which directly blamed the Houthi group for the incident.

Muammar al-Eryani, Yemen's information minister, described the bombing as an "extension of brutal and deliberate killings" carried out by Houthi militias against civilians in Taiz.