The head of Iranian diplomacy, Mohammad Javad Zarif, reiterated, Wednesday April 28, during a meeting in Oman with the spokesman of the Yemeni rebels, the support of Tehran for a ceasefire in Yemen and for a resumption of talks aimed at ending a war of more than six years.

The Islamic Republic's foreign minister "once again insisted [...] that a political solution is the only solution to the crisis in Yemen" during his discussion with Mohamed Abdel Salam, his services said in a statement.

Mohammad Javad Zarif "emphasized the support of our country for a ceasefire and for talks between the Yemeni parties", continued the ministry, adding that the chief diplomat had deplored "the conditions imposed on the Yemeni population by six years of war, called for the end of the conflict and the lifting of the blockade ".

The Houthis spokesperson has lived in Muscat for several years, like other leaders of the Iranian-backed rebel movement.

The two have met several times in the Omani capital in recent years.

The conflict in Yemen has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 2014, according to NGOs, displaced millions of people and pushed a large part of the population to the brink of famine.

Saudi Arabia, which has led a military coalition since 2015 in support of the Yemeni government recognized by the international community and fought by the rebels, has asked the Houthis to stop the fight and start negotiations.

Proposal immediately rejected by the rebels, who demanded the lifting of the blockade.

A "massive" rebel attack thwarted in Marib

On the ground, Yemeni government forces thwarted a "massive" attack by Shiite rebels west of the town of Marib on Tuesday, strengthening their positions in their last stronghold in the north of the country, according to two military commanders and an official. civilian interviewed by AFP.

One of the commanders, involved in the defense of Marib, claimed that loyalist forces had "succeeded in repelling a massive attack" in al-Tala'a al-Hamra, about 18 kilometers west of the city, near the main road connecting Marib to the rebel-controlled capital Sanaa.

"The loss of this position would have allowed [the Houthis] to advance towards the hills and sites near Marib and opened the road to the city," he added, supported by the second high ranking officer.

However, the Iranian-backed rebels have advanced in four areas of the Machjah front, a key area northwest of Marib, the sources said.

Intense fighting on several front lines around the strategic city has left at least 67 dead in the past 24 hours, including 27 loyalist soldiers, they added.

Military sources told AFP on Sunday that rebels had taken control of Kassara in the northwest, bringing them closer to less than 6 kilometers from the city center, despite airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition. Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government.

However, the Minister of Information, Muammar al-Iryani, disputed this version of the facts and denied this advance of the Houthis.

Government forces are building trenches and erecting earth barriers on the outskirts of Marib, according to field commanders.

Several government sources told AFP that the next two weeks would decide the fate of the offensive launched in early February.

According to them, around 2,000 loyalist soldiers and thousands of rebels have been killed so far, while the Houthis rarely reveal their own losses.

The government estimates that 2 million displaced people have settled in Marib, seeing the area as a safe haven, as the war enters its seventh year.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, according to NGOs, and caused the biggest humanitarian disaster in the world, according to the UN.

With AFP

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