Yemen Strikes Kill at Least 10 as Houthis Target Marib Military Camp

Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for missile and drone strikes on a government military camp in Yemen's Marib province that killed at least 10 people, including eight government soldiers and two civilians. These Yemen strikes occurred on Friday after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Sanaa the previous month, which triggered tit-for-tat attacks and contributed to the unraveling of the 2022 truce.

Houthi Claim of Responsibility for Marib Strikes

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the Sahn al-Jinn camp, along with its arsenals, vehicles and military equipment, was hit with a large number of missiles and drones in response to Saudi-backed mobilization. [1] The spokesman stated that the Saudi enemy continued to mobilise and incite its forces, leading to the attack on the camp controlled by government forces. [3] Yahya Saree issued the statement referring specifically to the Sahn al-Jinn camp held by those forces. [1] The Houthis framed the action as a direct response to ongoing Saudi-backed efforts in the area. [3] This claim came after the group used more than 10 missiles and seven one-way attack drones in the assault on military camps in Marib province. [3]

Casualties from the Attacks

A Yemeni military source reported eight government troops killed and 12 wounded in the Marib attacks, while the health minister said shelling of residential areas and displacement camps killed two civilians and wounded 14 others. [1] The health minister for the Saudi-backed government, Qasim Buhaibeh, posted on X that shelling by the Houthi militia targeting residential neighbourhoods and displacement camps in the city of Marib resulted in the deaths of two civilians and injuries of varying severity to 14 others. [3] A Yemeni military source told AFP that Houthi attacks in Marib province killed eight members of government forces and wounded 12 others. [3] The same source noted that the Houthis had launched more than 10 missiles and seven one-way attack drones targeting military camps in Marib province. [3] An earlier report from military circles indicated two military personnel killed and three wounded in attacks on positions of government-aligned troops in Marib province. [5]

Houthi missile and drone strikes hit a military camp in Yemen's Marib province, killing at least 10. — Source: france24

Context of Thursday's Deadlier Assault

The strikes follow the Houthis' deadliest attack in years on Thursday that killed at least 58 government troops mainly in Marib, with more than 10 missiles and seven drones used in the latest assault. [3] The rebels said Thursday that they had attacked several sites in response to a Saudi-backed build-up of government forces. [3] Thursday's attacks with missiles and drones killed at least 58 government troops, mainly in Marib, according to an army source. [3] The Yemeni military source had previously said artillery exchanges and clashes were taking place in Sirwah and on the Al-Kasara front, north of Marib city, where Houthi drones were spotted. [3] The rebels also hit an arms depot in the region during those Thursday operations. [3]

Strategic Importance of Marib Province

Marib province, which contains oil fields and facilities, is split between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government and has been a key battleground in the civil war that began in 2014. [3] Strategic Marib province is split between the Houthis and the Yemeni government, which controls the city of the same name as well as the area's oil fields and facilities. [3] The oil-rich provinces have been particularly contested in the civil war that has lasted more than a decade. [5] The Houthis in 2021 resumed an offensive seeking to take the energy-rich province, but the fighting was largely halted after a nationwide truce was agreed in 2022. [3] The rebels welcomed an Iranian plane directly to the Yemeni capital Sanaa, triggering a series of tit-for-tat attacks. [3]

Escalation Following Iranian Plane Landing

The attacks come after the 2022 truce largely unraveled last month when the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Sanaa, triggering tit-for-tat strikes and a declared maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia. [1] Yemen, which has been embroiled in more than a decade of war, last month became the latest front to be sucked into the US-Iran conflict, as the Tehran-backed Houthis upended the 2022 truce. [3] The rebels in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa allowed the landing of an Iranian plane, which prompted a series of retaliatory attacks from government forces. [1] They later announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its tankers. [3] Last month, the Houthis also killed 16 soldiers in an attack on government-aligned forces south of the port city of Hodeidah, two medical officials told AFP. [3]

Saudi Coalition Response Warning

A source close to the Saudi military told AFP that the Saudi-led coalition supporting the Yemeni government since 2015 would not stand idly by as the Houthis step up their attacks, adding that Marib was a red line. [3] The source warned that the coalition does not seek escalation, but we will not allow the current balance of power on the ground to be changed. [3] Riyadh would not accept a Houthi takeover of Marib, the source said, adding that the rebels were believed to be seeking to launch an offensive in the province. [3] The regierungsnah television station Saba TV reported that air defence intercepted several explosive-laden drones over Marib while the Houthi militia shelled the city with missiles and drones. [5]

What to watch next: The Saudi-led coalition has stated it will not stand idly by as the Houthis step up attacks and will not allow the current balance of power on the ground in Marib to be changed.