Yemen..Dead and wounded in Houthi shelling on Marib, and the US envoy warns of the continued escalation

At least 5 civilians were killed and more than 20 were wounded - according to a preliminary statistic - as a result of the Houthi ballistic missile bombing of the Al-Matar neighborhood in the center of Ma'rib, at a time when the US envoy to Yemen, Timothy Linderking, considered the recent escalation of violence in the region a threat to everyone.

A military source told AFP that the missile fell in a residential neighborhood near the third military region in Marib.

For his part, the military spokesman for the Houthis, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, claimed the launch of a ballistic missile on the city of Ma'rib, indicating that it targeted the third military region, according to him.

Saree added that the injury was accurate and resulted in the death and injury of dozens of whom he called "mercenaries of aggression", without giving further details.

This bombing comes after the Houthi forces were expelled from Harib district in Ma'rib governorate.

On January 10, the "Giant Brigades" regained control of the oil-rich Shabwa governorate, in a military strike against the Houthis seeking to control the city of Ma'rib.

In a related context, Yemeni media reported that the Saudi-Emirati military coalition launched night raids on Houthi sites in and around Sanaa.

Media sources affiliated with the Houthi group said that the coalition aircraft targeted sites in the "Al-Sabah" area in the Bani Matar district, and the "Al-Daba'at" and "Jerban" areas in the Sanhan district in the southern countryside of Sanaa.

For its part, the coalition announced, in a brief statement, that its fighters carried out strikes on military targets of Houthi sites in Sanaa, within almost daily targets that the coalition described as "legitimate", concentrated in the "Al-Nahdain" and "Al-Hafa" areas in the Al-Sabeen district in the capital, Sana'a.

Prayers for peace

In the context of diplomatic moves, the US envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, said that the recent escalation of violence in the region poses a threat to everyone.

He added, during his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman, Bader Al-Busaidi, "We must work together to pressure the parties to return to dialogue."

On Wednesday, Lenderking held a meeting with British Minister for Middle East Affairs James Cleverly.

Cleverly said on Twitter that he discussed with Lenderking how the international community can support the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and all parties working for peace in the country, without details.

In another tweet, Cleverly stated that he also had a good discussion with the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Muhammad Al Jaber.

Cleverly added that the meeting focused on the common goal of peace and security in Yemen and the region.

military support

Meanwhile, the UAE delegate to the United Nations, Lana Nusseibeh, told CNN that her country will continue the path of de-escalation, and reserves the right to defend itself, stressing her country's need for more US support to intercept Houthi missiles.

For his part, US State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed that Washington will take steps with partners in the region to hold the Houthis accountable for the recent attacks in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

On the other hand, the US Department of Defense said that the Houthi missile attack on the Al Dhafra base in the UAE last Monday could have caused deaths among its forces stationed at that base.

The US Air Force Command in Al Dhafra had previously stated that it had dealt with the attack on Abu Dhabi, and that its forces had taken shelter in shelters at the base.

Yemen has been witnessing for nearly 7 years a continuous war between the pro-government forces backed by an Arab military alliance led by the neighboring Saudi Arabia, and the Iranian-backed Houthis, who have controlled several governorates, including the capital, Sanaa, since September 2014.

Until the end of 2021, the war resulted in the deaths of 377,000, and cost Yemen's economy $126 billion in losses, and most of its population, numbering about 30 million, became dependent on aid, in one of the worst humanitarian and economic crises in the world, according to the United Nations.