The Houthis have planted thousands of landmines in Hodeida to obstruct a major push by government forces to liberate the province AL-MUKALLA, YEMEN: Houthi media reported that the Iran-backed militia buried dozens of fighters, including a senior commander, who had been killed in combat against Yemeni government forces or by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes. Brig. Yahiya Abdul Jabbar Juhedan, commander of the Brigade 417 Border Guards, was buried in Houthi-held Sanaa. Houthi media described him as having had “unrivaled” military know how. Yemeni Army commanders say at least 1,000 Houthi fighters have been killed or injured since early last month, when fighting flared in the country’s north in the wake of a Houthi missile and drone attack that killed more than 110 soldiers and civilians in the city of Marib. Fighting has intensified over the last couple of days, mainly in the provinces of Jouf, Marib and Serwah. The heaviest fighting was reported on Monday and Tuesday in the northern province of Jouf, where government forces ambushed Houthi fighters and pushed backed their assaults in the districts of Masloub and Ghayl. Many Houthi fighters were killed, state TV reported. IED kills family An improvised explosive device (IED) planted by the Houthis struck a vehicle, killing a family of four and injuring a person in the western province of Hodeida, state media reported. The family members were killed on Sunday when their car drove over the IED in the region of Moushaj. The Houthis have planted thousands of landmines in Hodeida to obstruct a major push by government forces to liberate the province. Local rights groups that document war casualties say Houthi landmines and IEDs have killed dozens of civilians so far this year. The spiraling number of civilian deaths has prompted Yemeni officials to urge the UN to pressure the Houthis to stop planting landmines and to hand over maps showing where they are planted in liberated areas. Brig. Gen. Tareq Mohammed Saleh told a UN official that the Houthis have planted thousands of landmines that kill civilians every day. Saleh urged the UN to help local demining efforts. Masam, the Saudi project for landmine clearance, on Tuesday announced the detonation of more than 1,000 landmines, rockets and IEDs in the Mocha district of Taiz province.