DUBAI, September 23 (Reuters) – Houthi military forces are stepping up their push towards the central Yemeni city of Marib, which is held by the Saudi-backed government, and intensifying fighting in the south, the Houthi group said and Yemeni military sources. Thusday.

After recent advances and fierce fighting, Houthi army spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group’s fighters were on the western outskirts of Marib town and were pushing on other fronts with high casualties. these last months.

A Yemeni government military source said the Houthi forces were about 18 km west of the town of Marib, but the main fighting took place in the southern Shabwa region, which has several oil fields and the only liquefied natural gas terminal in the country.

Houthi forces advance in the Assilan district of Shabwa, where the Janna oil field is located. Read more

Marib is about 120 km (75 miles) east of the capital Sana’a, which the Iranian-aligned Houthis seized most of northern Yemen in 2014 when they overthrew the internationally recognized government. of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Since the beginning of this year, they have advanced on three fronts towards the Marib region, which is the last northern stronghold of the government and has the largest gas fields in Yemen. There were many casualties on both sides.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in the war in 2015 in an attempt to restore the Hadi government to power, but the conflict dragged on, killing tens of thousands and causing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Read more

The escalation in the fighting comes as envoys from the UN and the United States have traveled to the region in an attempt to revive stalled peace talks.

Written by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Angus MacSwan

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