Saudi-led coalition claims to have killed 125 Houthi fighters in 24 hours

By Mohammad al-Samei

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - The Saudi Arabian-led Arab Coalition in Yemen announced Thursday that it killed 125 Houthi militants in military operations in the past 24 hours.

"We carried out 22 targeting operations to vehicles and militants of the Houthi militia in the provinces of Marib and al-Bayda (central Yemen) during the past 24 hours," the Kingdom’s official SPA news agency cited a statement by the coalition.

It added that operations "destroyed 14 military vehicles and eliminated 125 Houthi terrorist militants."

The Houthi-run Saba news agency quoted an unnamed security source who said, “Coalition warplanes on Thursday carried out 16 airstrikes on Al-Jubah and Sarwah districts in Marib."

It did not provide further details if there were any human or property damage.

Since February, the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have stepped up attacks to take control of the oil-rich Marib province, one of the most important strongholds of the legitimate government and home to the headquarters of Yemen’s Defense Ministry.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation and caused one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with 233,000 people killed, nearly 80%, or about 30 million needing humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara