DM Monitoring
MARIB: The Saudi-led military coalition supporting Yemen’s government said Sunday it had killed over 165 Houthi rebels in strikes south of Marib, as the battle for the strategic city rages.
The strikes “destroyed 10 military vehicles and killed more than 165” rebels in the past 24 hours, the coalition said in a statement cited by the official Saudi Press Agency.
The coalition has said it has killed around 1,000 Iran-backed rebels in strikes in the area in the past week, making daily announcements of at least dozens of rebel deaths.The Houthis said on Twitter Sunday that they had taken control of several fronts around Marib, including Abdiya, which lies about 100 kilometers south of the city.
Military spokesman Yahia Sarea said Houthi forces had taken three districts in Shabwa in southern Yemen and two more in Marib, the Saudi-backed government’s last northern stronghold.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, and the Houthis have been locked in war since 2014, when the insurgents seized the capital Sanaa. In February, the Houthi escalated their efforts to seize Marib, the government’s last northern stronghold in fighting that has killed hundreds on both sides. Control of the oil-rich region would strengthen the Houthis’ bargaining position in peace talks.
While the UN and Washington are pushing for an end to the war, the Houthis have demanded the reopening of Sanaa airport, closed under a Saudi blockade since 2016, before any cease-fire.
