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SANAA, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least 32 people were killed in fierce battles overnight between forces loyal to Yemeni exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government and Shiite Houthi fighters in southwestern city of Taiz, according to a statement by the loyal forces on Thursday.
The loyal forces Forces loyal to Yemeni exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government said that they have recaptured a provincial headquarters of Yemen's central bank from rebel Houthi fighters in southwestern province of Taiz.
They said in a statement posted on pro-government media that they killed 23 Houthi rebels, injuring scores and arresting five others during overnight battles in Jahmalia quarter east of Taiz central city.
The loyal forces lost nine soldiers while 21 others were wounded during the battles that also resulted in the recapture of the city's headquarters of Yemen's central bank from rebel Houthi fighters, as well a military hospital and a cultural center, according to the statement.
The loyal forces also claimed to recapture several other military posts and government facilities from Houthi fighters in southern the city following what they said fierce clashes overnight.
The fresh escalation came hours before a ceasefire proposed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry come to effect.
Houthis and their ally Ali Abdullah Saleh announced their agreement to the ceasefire in a joint statement early on Thursday.
The ceasefire was declared two days earlier by Kerry to take effect on Thursday.
However, Hadi's foreign minister Abdel-Malik al-Mekhlafi quickly responded on Kerry's roadmap as "no more than a media bubble."
"The government was not aware of what Secretary Kerry announced about reaching an agreement with Houthis," Mekhlafi wrote on his official Twitter page.
Mekhlafi said Kerry's announcement was in conflict to the UN Security Council Resolution 2216.
The situation in Yemen has deteriorated economically and politically since March 2015, when war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Saleh, and the government backed by Saudi-led Arab coalition.
Houthis and Saleh's fighters forced Hadi and his government into exile after taking over most of Yemen's northern governorates in late 2014, while government forces backed by Saudi-led military coalition recaptured the south from Houthi fighters in mid 2015.
The airstrikes and ground battles have killed more than 10,000 people, half of them civilians, injured around 35,000 and displaced over 3 million.
