Yemen troops battle new Houthi attacks near Marib

AL-MUKALLA: On the outskirts of Yemen’s central city of Marib, fierce fighting erupted on Friday after the Iran-backed Houthis launched a new attack on government forces defending the strategic location.

Army troops and allied tribesmen were fending off a major Houthi assault at flashpoint sites in Juba district, south of Marib, according to the Yemeni Defense Ministry.

The attack was described as the most serious since April 2, the first day of a UN-brokered two-month cease-fire.

The Houthis have been accused by Yemen’s government of taking advantage of the ceasefire and the absence of Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen warplanes by mobilising new forces and military equipment such as tanks, artillery, and BMP infantry fighting vehicles.

According to the army, the Houthis broke the cease-fire at least 100 times in contested areas in Hodeidah, Jouf, Taiz, Saada, Hajjah, and Marib. On Friday, the Houthis claimed the Yemeni government attacked their forces in Marib.

Energy-rich Since the Houthis resumed an offensive to take control of Marib earlier this year, the city has seen the bloodiest and most aggressive fighting in the war.

Thousands of combatants and civilians have been killed outside the city, and the group has refused to stop its attacks, which have exacerbated the country’s humanitarian crisis.

Warring factions in Yemen were required to halt hostilities on all fronts, as well as cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, under the terms of the longest cease-fire since the conflict began. Two flights to Egypt and Jordan would be added to Sanaa’s weekly schedule, and 18 fuel ships would be allowed to dock in Hodeidah’s western port.

Former Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi handed over power to an eight-member presidential council on Thursday, which will run the country and negotiate with the Houthi rebels.

The formation of the presidential council, as well as the results of Yemeni-Yemeni talks in Riyadh, did not sit well with Mohammed Abdul-Salam, a spokesman for the Houthi movement. He explained that the council’s purpose was to reorganise their opponents’ ranks before they were sent to fight them.

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