DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Nearly 80
Yemen rebels and pro-government troops have been killed as fighting intensifies
for the northern city of Marib, officials said Wednesday, nearly seven years
into a war that has triggered a major humanitarian crisis.
اضافة اعلان
Scores of rebels were killed in airstrikes after they renewed their attempt
to capture the strategic city, the internationally recognized government's last
outpost in the north, according to loyalists.
"Sixty Houthi rebels were killed — most of them in air strikes
conducted in the last 24 hours — while 18 pro-government troops were killed and
dozens injured in clashes over the past 48 hours," a government military
official said.
The figures were confirmed by other military sources, while the rebels
rarely report casualty numbers.
Battles between Yemen's government, which is backed by a Saudi-led military
coalition, and the Iran-allied Houthi rebels have intensified in recent days in
Marib province, according to the military official, who spoke on condition of
anonymity.
The fighting was concentrated in the north and west of the governorate.
The official said air strikes had intensified. The rebels also reported
early on Wednesday that the coalition had carried out at least 30 such strikes
across Marib province.
"The Houthis launched last night a military offensive that continued
into the early hours of Wednesday morning," the pro-government official
said, adding loyalist troops were able to repel the insurgents despite a small
advance on the northern front.
'Dangerous
escalation'
The latest fighting comes nearly seven years after the fall of Yemen's
capital, Sanaa, to the rebels in September 2014, the start of a grinding war
that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.
The war has left some 80 percent of Yemenis dependent on aid, in what the UN
calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
The renewal of clashes for
Marib also coincides with the arrival of Hans
Grundberg, the new United Nations envoy for Yemen, who took up his duties this
week.
Yemeni Information Minister Mouammar Al-Eryani Tuesday called the Houthis'
attacks on Marib a "dangerous escalation," according to the official
Saba news agency.
"It confirms once again the terrorist Houthi militia's defiance of the
international community ... and the rebels aims to undermine (peace) efforts
and intensify conflict in Yemen and the region no matter the costs," he
said.
In February, the Houthis escalated their efforts to seize Marib in fighting
that has killed hundreds on both sides.
Control of the oil-rich region would strengthen the Houthis' bargaining
position in peace talks.
As well as the bloody offensive in Marib, the Houthis have also stepped up
drone and missile strikes on Saudi targets.
Two children were hurt and 14 homes damaged as Saudi forces intercepted
ballistic missiles fired across the border by Yemeni rebels on Saturday.
And four days earlier, a drone hit Saudi's Abha International Airport in the
south, wounding eight people and damaging a civilian plane.
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 ceasefire or negotiations.
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