Yemen loyalists seize town overlooking Taez

Yemeni pro-government forces on Thursday seized a town overlooking the besieged city of Taez after weeks of deadly fighting with Iran-backed rebels in the area, military sources said.

The capture of Al-Misrakh comes as part of an offensive loyalists launched in November to break the siege on Yemen's third city.

The town is south of the provincial capital, where two days earlier a rebel sniper shot dead a cameraman working for the government-run Yemen TV channel, drawing condemnation from international media watchdogs.

Yemen's National Union of Journalists said in a statement that Ahmed al-Shaibani was killed on Tuesday while he was covering clashes in the city.

Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned Shaibani's killing and urged all parties in Yemen's conflict to respect the lives of civilians, including journalists.

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