SANAA, Aug. 11 — Fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthi group intensified Tuesday in the northeastern oil-rich province of Marib, leaving at least eight Houthi fighters and three government soldiers dead, a military official told Xinhua.
Several fighters from both sides were also wounded in the fighting, which centered on the Jabal al-Balq front overlooking the Marib Dam, the local military official said on condition of anonymity. The mountainous frontline lies near Marib city, a key government stronghold that has repeatedly been at the center of battles between the two sides.
The official said the clashes involved intense exchanges of fire as government forces struck Houthi positions west and south of Marib city, marking a further escalation in ground fighting following days of missile and drone attacks across the province.
The Houthis did not immediately comment on the clashes.
In recent weeks, the Houthis have sharply intensified missile and drone attacks against government-held areas in Yemen and targets in neighboring Saudi Arabia, a key backer of the Yemeni government.
The group announced a maritime ban on Saudi-linked shipping in July and has since claimed attacks on Saudi-linked oil tankers in the Red Sea as well as energy facilities inside the kingdom.
The Houthis have claimed that their attacks on government forces were in response to what they described as Saudi-backed military buildups and mobilization in Yemen, while portraying strikes on Saudi territory as retaliation for what they called a blockade of Houthi-held areas.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized much of northern Yemen, including Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
A UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022 and expired six months later without a formal extension, but a fragile de facto ceasefire had largely reduced major ground fighting until the recent escalation. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
