The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen claimed on Sunday (October 31) that it had killed more than 218 Houthi rebels in new raids for three days near Marib. “Twenty-four military vehicles were destroyed and more than 218 terrorists” were killed in the past seventy-two hours in Al-Jawba (50 kilometers south of Marib) and Al-Kassara (30 kilometers northwest of Marib), the coalition said in a statement relayed by the official SPA press agency.
For several weeks, the coalition has drawn up almost daily reports of rebels killed in strikes, but the figures cannot be independently verified and the Houthis rarely communicate their losses. The coalition is supporting the government forces on the ground trying to repel the Houthi offensive, which is seeking to seize the town of Marib, capital of the province of the same name.
Houthi rebels control the capital
The last government stronghold in northern Yemen, this province has, since February, been the scene of a bloody battle that has intensified in recent weeks with the rebels’ advances, despite the losses. The Houthis, close to Iran, control most of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sana’a. In 2015, the Saudi-led military coalition stepped in to support struggling loyalist forces.
Launched in 2014, the war plunged Yemen into the worst humanitarian crisis in the world according to the UN. Tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, have been killed and millions displaced according to international NGOs.