Saudi-led coalition: 145 Yemen rebels killed near Marib

RIYADH — The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said Wednesday it has killed 145 Huthi rebels in 24 hours in air raids near Marib, the final northern stronghold of pro-government forces.

The coalition, which backs Yemen's internationally recognised government, has reported near-daily strikes over the past three weeks that it claims have now inflicted more than 2,000 lives among the Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

But the insurgents, who have for months waged an offensive against the government stronghold, rarely comment on losses, and AFP can not independently verify the tolls.

“Eighteen military vehicles have been destroyed and 145” insurgents killed in the latest 24 hours, the Saudi-led coalition said in a statement published by Saudi Arabia’s official SPA press agency.

The rebels were killed in raids in the Sirwah district, east of Marib city, it added.

The coalition has since October 11 issued near-daily reports of bombing around Marib, saying it has killed a total of around 2,450 insurgents in the area.

The Houthi began a major push to seize the city in February and, after a lull, they renewed their offensive in September.

A pro-government military official had told AFP on Tuesday that the rebels have made “new advances amid ongoing clashes with pro-government troops”.

Another loyalist official confirmed the insurgents were edging closer to the city.

The Houthi said on Tuesday they were on the outskirts of the city.

Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when the Houthi seized the capital Sanaa, prompting Saudi-led forces to intervene to prop up the government the following year.

Tens of thousands of people have died and millions have been displaced in what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.