Yemeni army kills 12 Houthi fighters in Marib as rebels mass for major offensive
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Yemeni government forces said on Saturday, September 19, that they had killed 12 Houthi rebel fighters while foiling an infiltration attempt in the oil-rich northeastern province of Marib. The clashes took place in the al-Faliha area, south of Marib province, forcing the rebels to retreat, and several other Houthi fighters were wounded. A Yemeni military official told Xinhua news agency that the Houthis are massing fighters and allied tribal forces on several fronts around Marib province to prepare a major offensive aimed at seizing the key energy province. Meanwhile, warplanes carried out several airstrikes targeting Houthi reinforcements and strongholds in various areas across Marib province. The renewed fighting in Marib comes as Yemen's battlefields widen on several fronts, with military sources saying at least 44 government and Houthi fighters were killed in the past 24 hours in the southwestern province of Taiz and the nearby southern province of Lahij. The conflict in Yemen erupted in late 2014 after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, along with much of the north, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of Yemen's internationally recognized government.