SANAA : 13 government soldiers were killed in fierce fighting in the oil-rich central province of Marib between the Yemeni government forces and the Houthi militia, a government military source said.

According to a source in Marib who spoke on the condition of anonymity on Sunday, other soldiers were also injured during the fighting that broke out on the frontlines of the southern area of Al-Jubah. The source said, adding that the conflict lasted eight hours through the night and into the following morning, that it started when the Houthi fighters went in groups across three directions toward the locations of the government forces.

The military source reported, "It was a very lethal, violent onslaught, in which powerful machine guns, rockets, and artillery were deployed in the combat." The Houthi organisation, which rarely publicised its deaths, has not yet commented on the skirmishes while the government troops are still estimating the casualties from the Houthi side, according to Xinhua news agency.

While the majority of Marib and its oil and gas fields are under the control of the Yemeni government, the Houthis have launched fierce offensives over the past few years in an effort to seize control of the vital province, which is seen as a stronghold between the Houthis and the southern provinces.

Nearly three months after a six-month countrywide truce ended in October 2022, the situation escalated. Since the Houthi militia, which is backed by Iran, overran numerous northern cities and drove the Saudi-backed Yemeni government from the capital Sanaa in late 2014, Yemen has been engulfed in civil conflict.

Tens of thousands have died in the battle, 4 million have been displaced, and the nation is on the verge of starvation.

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