The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen claimed on Tuesday (October 19) that it had killed 48 Houthi rebels in new air raids around the strategic city of Marib, the scene of a battle that has intensified this week.
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Six military vehicles were destroyed and 48 terrorist elements killed
" in the last 24 hours in Al-Jawba -located 50 km south of Marib- and Al-Kassara -located 30 km northwest of Marib- , the coalition said in a statement released by the official Saudi agency SPA.
Read alsoYemen: deadly battle for control of Marib
For a week, the coalition has been announcing daily numerous rebels killed in Al-Abdiya, 100 kilometers south of Marib, torn off by the rebels on Saturday despite their losses.
In total, the raids killed more than a thousand Houthis in this area, assures the coalition.
These figures could not be verified from an independent source.
The Houthis rarely communicate about victims in their ranks.
"No progress during the last hours"
The last stronghold of the government in northern Yemen, Marib has been at the heart of a bloody battle since February, which has intensified in recent days with the advances of the rebels.
The latter, close to Iran, have been fighting government forces for seven years and seized most of the north of the country, including the capital Sanaa in 2014. The following year, the coalition led by Saudi Arabia is intervened to support the struggling loyalist forces.
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The fighting continues on several fronts, but there has been no progress or change on the ground in recent hours,
" a military official in government forces told AFP, who requested anonymity.
The war devastated the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, causing the worst ongoing humanitarian disaster in the world according to the UN.
It has left tens of thousands of deaths, especially civilians, and millions of displaced people, according to NGOs.
Threatened by a large-scale family, the vast majority of the population depends on international aid.
