Over 180 Yemen rebels killed south of Marib: Coalition

RIYADH: The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government said on Friday it had killed more than 180 Houthi rebels in strikes south of the strategic city of Marib.
An operation “destroyed 10 military vehicles and killed more than 180 terrorist elements” in Abdiya and surrounding areas, south of Marib, the coalition said, cited by the official Saudi Press Agency.
The coalition has said hundreds of rebels have been killed in the battle for Marib in recent days.
The rebels rarely comment on losses and the toll could not be independently verified by AFP.
The Yemeni civil war began in 2014 when the Houthi seized the capital Sanaa, 120 kilometres (75 miles) west of Marib, prompting Saudi-led forces to intervene to prop up the government the following year.

The UN called on Thursday for a halt to the fighting in Abdiya district, the focus of the latest Saudi-led strikes.
Marib, Shabwa and Al-Bayda provinces have all seen an escalation in fighting in recent weeks, resulting in “a devastating impact on civilians”, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, David Gressly, said.
“I call on all parties involved in the fighting to agree now to a cessation of hostilities for Abdiya district to allow for the safe passage of civilians and aid workers, and for the evacuation of all of those wounded in the fighting,” Gressly said in a statement.
Abdiya lies about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Marib.