Yemeni officials say battle for key city intensifies

Yemeni officials say that heated battles have taken place in recent days between forces of Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the country’s rebels around the strategic city of Marib

MARIB, Yemen -- Heated battles have taken place in recent days between forces of Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the country’s Iran-backed rebels around the strategic city of Marib, Yemeni officials said Sunday. The rebels, known as the Houthis, have been trying to seize the area for months. Yemeni military officials and tribal leaders from the area said that an estimated dozens of fighters have been killed or injured in the recent fighting. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, and tribal leaders asked that their identity be concealed for their own security. Since Friday, Houthi forces launched attacks on several frontline areas in the outskirts of Marib, said Lieutenant General Saggeer Azeez, chief of staff for the military of Yemen’s internationally recognized government. He confirmed that the fighting led to casualties among Yemeni government forces. Saudi-led coalition airstrikes responded to the attacks on Sunday, according to Maj. Gen. Nasser al-Zaibani, director of military operations of the Yemeni army, which fights alongside the coalition. Meanwhile, a Houthi official said that they have deployed at least 200 additional fighters to the frontline near Marib in the past 24 hours. He also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.