Yemeni army pushes further into Marib, prompting Houthi retreat

For the first time in months, Yemeni government forces have entered a new area of the Abedia district in southern Marib, killing dozens of Houthis in the central province of Marib. In addition to this, the latest advances made by the military in the central province have gradually provoked the withdrawal of the Houthis, as confirmed by a local military official to Arab News.

During this week, the Yemeni army and the Giant Brigades, a military coalition supported by the United Arab Emirates, took control of strategic mountainous locations in the neighbouring area of Hareb, gaining control of most of the district, including the city of Hareb itself. This has provoked a military coup affecting the Houthis, who have been suffering defeats in Marib since the beginning of the year.

Following the takeover of Hareb, the Yemeni Army and the Giant Brigades took control of Al-Jafara in the Abedia district and, in addition, laid siege to the Um Resh military base in the Juba district, also located in southern Marib. "We are now moving deeper into Juba and Abedia districts," a military official said anonymously. Military officials want to take control of Abedia and Juba to protect the central city of Marib from the various Houthi attacks coming from the south, which would allow government troops to advance further into the neighbouring province of al-Bayda.

All these events have provoked intense fighting with the Houthis, who are being attacked by government troops and at the same time are receiving heavy air strikes by the military coalition, in order to carry out the restoration of legitimacy in the country. In fact, local media have reported that there has been an increase in air strikes by the military coalition against the Houthis in the district of Abedia, with the aim of preparing the ground for government troops to advance into the strategic district.

The Houthis have besieged thousands of people in the Abedia district over the past year. They bombarded the area with missiles, explosive drones and mortar fire in residential areas to force local army units and tribal fighters to surrender. As a direct consequence of the Houthi attacks, thousands of people are suffering the effects of famine, leading to both local and international condemnation of the situation.

Since the end of the year, hundreds of fighters from the Giant Brigades military coalition have been deployed in the area, which lies between Yemen's west coast and the central province of Marib. These government troops have helped reverse Houthi military gains in the south of the central province of Marib and in the province of Shabwa. The military coalition has also admitted killing more than 160 Houthis in 31 airstrikes in the areas of Marib, Al-Bayda and Taiz, following the military coalition's increased intensity of airstrikes, accompanied by large explosions, against military targets in the Houthi-controlled area of Sana'a.

Indeed, residents in the Sana'a area reported seeing flames of fire and smoke coming from military bases located north, west and east of Sana'a. Videos have also circulated on social media showing missiles scattered by fighter jets, which later exploded. The military coalition has accused the Houthi rebels of storing and packaging ballistic missiles and explosive drones, which they used to attack Saudi Arabia inside military bases in Sana'a.

Yemen has been embroiled in an armed conflict between supporters of the legitimate president, Abdo Rabu Mansur Hadi, and Houthi rebels since 2014. The Yemeni army is supported by a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, according to the United Nations International Agency, the Yemeni conflict is considered one of the worst humanitarian disasters.