Saudi coalition kills scores of Houthis in battle for Yemen’s Marib

The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen has killed 145 Houthi rebels in 24 hours in air raids near Marib, the final northern stronghold of pro-government forces.

“Eighteen military vehicles have been destroyed and 145” insurgents killed in the latest 24 hours, the Saudi-led coalition said in a statement on Wednesday published by Saudi Arabia’s official SPA press agency.

The rebels were killed in raids in the Sirwah district, east of Marib city, it added.

But the insurgents, who have for months waged an offensive against the government stronghold, rarely comment on losses, and AFP can not independently verify the tolls.

The coalition has since October 11 issued near-daily reports of bombing around Marib, saying it has killed a total of around 2,450 insurgents in the area.

The Houthis began a major push to seize the city in February and, after a lull, they renewed their offensive in September.

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Rebels inch closer

A pro-government military official had told AFP on Tuesday that the rebels have made “new advances amid ongoing clashes with pro-government troops”.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahia Sarea on Tuesday said they had seized Marib’s al Jubah and Jabal Murad districts, after last month taking al Abdiyah and Harib, saying “our mujahideen continue the march towards Marib City”.

They have advanced on most districts in Marib, Yemen’s only gas-producing region and home to one of the country’s largest oilfields in Marib Al Wadi, which along with Marib City remain fully under government control.

It is not clear if the Houthis will launch a direct assault on the capital of Marib governorate or move to take the nearby oil and gas facilities and besiege the city.

Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa, prompting Saudi-led forces to intervene to prop up the government the following year.

Tens of thousands of people have died and millions have been displaced in what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

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