Today, Thursday, the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen announced the killing of 95 fighters of the Yemeni Houthi group in air strikes during the past 24 hours on two areas near the strategic city of Marib, while the Houthis said that their forces are besieging it from several sides.
The coalition is trying to prevent the rebels from reaching the city of Marib, the last stronghold of the internationally recognized government in the north of the war-torn country.
In February, the Houthis escalated their military operations to control it.
Since then, the battles have left hundreds of people dead on both sides and displaced more than 55,000 people from their homes since the beginning of this year, according to the United Nations International Organization for Migration.
In a statement published by official media, the coalition said that it had carried out "22 targeting operations" in the areas of Al-Kasara, about 30 km northwest of Marib, and Al-Juba, about 50 km south of Marib, which led to "the destruction of 11 military vehicles and the elimination of 95 terrorist elements." ".
The Iranian-backed Houthis rarely comment on casualties, and AFP was not able to independently verify the death toll.
Dispute and losses
Earlier in the day, the coalition said that Saudi air defenses had intercepted and destroyed 5 ballistic missiles launched by the Ansar Allah Houthi group towards the city of Jizan, in the southwest of the Kingdom.
The Houthis used to launch ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi regions, in exchange for repeated announcements by the Arab coalition, led by the Kingdom in Yemen, to thwart these attacks, while some of them left civilian casualties.
The conflict in Yemen is between a government backed by the Saudi-led military coalition since 2015, and the Houthis, who have controlled large areas in the north and west of the country, as well as the capital, Sanaa, since 2014.
The conflict resulted in the killing of tens of thousands of people, including many civilians, according to several humanitarian organizations.
About 3.3 million people are still displaced, while 24.1 million people - more than two-thirds of the population - need assistance, according to the United Nations, which has repeatedly stressed that Yemen is currently witnessing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.