65 Huthi rebels and pro-government forces have been killed in renewed fighting for the strategic Yemeni city of Marib, a military official told AFP on Thursday.
The fight was triggered when Iran-backed rebels attacked pro-government positions south of the city, making advances despite losing their fighters in coalition airstrikes.
“Twenty-two pro-government (forces) were killed and 50 others were wounded, while 43 Huthi rebels were also killed in the last 48 hours,” a government military official said, in figures that were confirmed by other military and medical sources.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government supported by a Saudi-led military coalition and the Huthis have been locked in war since 2014 when the insurgents seized the capital Sanaa.
The clash comes after strikes on Yemen’s largest airbase, in the country’s south, killed at least 30 pro-government fighters on Sunday in the deadliest incident since December.
