Many were killed when fighting escalated near the Yemeni Marib
About 200 fighters have been killed in clashes near the strategic Yemeni city of Marib, military and medical sources said on Tuesday as the seven-year war witnesses an increase in violence.
More than 125 Houthi rebels have been killed in airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition and clashes with pro-government forces in Shabwa and Al-Bayda provinces bordering Marib, medical sources told AFP.
The pro-government Giants Brigade, backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, also lost 70 fighters, Yemeni government sources said. The clashes have taken place over the past 24 hours.
The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting for almost seven years in support of the Yemeni government against the Houthis, in a conflict that has displaced millions of people and created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, according to the UN.
As hostilities escalate, rebels said on Monday that they had seized a military ship sailing under the United Arab Emirates flag. The coalition insisted that it carry medical supplies.
In September, the rebels intensified their efforts to capture Marib, a provincial capital that is the government’s last stronghold in the north.
In recent weeks, there has been a further increase in Saudi airstrikes on rebel territory, while the Houthis have increased missile and drone strikes on the kingdom.
39 injured arrived at Shabwa’s Ataq Hospital in just one day on Sunday, according to a team from Médecins Sans Frontières that arrived at the end of December.
(AFP)
