Houthi missile attack kills 12 in Yemen's Marib

MARIB, Yemen

At least 12 people were killed and 20 others wounded in a missile attack carried out by Houthi rebels in Yemen's Marib province, local sources said Thursday.

The Houthis targeted five residences in Al-Jalwah district, including the house of a clan leader, according to local sources and eyewitnesses.

The attack came as coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia announced that 95 Houthis were killed and 11 military vehicles were destroyed in operations carried out in the last 24 hours in Marib.​​​​​​​

Yemen’s Information Minister Muammar al-Iryani said on Twitter that Iranian-made ballistic missiles targeted a civilian settlement in Marib, destroying four homes and a mosque.

The Yemeni government controls most of Marib while the Houthis control some areas in the province.

In recent months, Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels have stepped up attacks to take control of the oil-rich province, one of the most important strongholds of the legitimate government and home to the headquarters of Yemen’s Defense Ministry.

On Feb.13, the Yemeni army launched a large-scale operation against the Houthis on various fronts in Marib to protect the province.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital, Sana’a.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises with 233,000 people killed, nearly 80% of the country’s 30 million people needing humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million people in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar