Saudi-led Coalition Says 105 Yemen Rebels Killed In Marib Battle

The Saudi-led military coalition backing the government in Yemen said Monday it had killed 105 Huthi rebels in air strikes near the strategic city of Marib

Riyadh, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Oct, 2021 ) :The Saudi-led military coalition backing the government in Yemen said Monday it had killed 105 Huthi rebels in air strikes near the strategic city of Marib.

The deaths are the latest among roughly 1,700 rebels the coalition claims it has killed in strikes over the past two weeks around Marib, the internationally recognised government's last bastion in oil-rich northern Yemen.

The Iran-backed Huthis rarely comment on losses, and AFP could not independently verify the toll.

"Thirteen military vehicles were destroyed and 105" insurgents were killed in strikes in the past 24 hours, the coalition said, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

The strikes were carried out in Al-Jawba, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Marib, and Al-Kassara, 30 kilometres to the northwest.

The coalition has reported heavy strikes around Marib in recent weeks.

In February, the Huthis began a major push to seize Marib -- the internationally recognised government's last bastion in oil-rich northern Yemen.

They have renewed their offensive since September after a lull.

The Yemeni civil war began in 2014 when the Huthis seized the capital Sanaa, 120 kilometres west of Marib, 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 has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.