Houthis launch new attacks on al-Makha and Marib as Yemen conflict escalates

The Houthis launched a wave of missiles and drones at Yemen’s Marib city and the coastal city of al-Makha (Mocha) overnight, killing several people, according to local media reports.

An attack on Sunday hit the outskirts of al-Makha, a port city on Yemen’s Red Sea coast, while another struck a main road in the city.

Four people were killed and eight were injured in the overnight attacks, according to state media and the director of the al-Makha airport.

Marib’s government media office said six ballistic missiles and four drones targeted residential neighbourhoods in the city on Saturday evening, wounding four people and causing damage to homes and civilian infrastructure.

Port operations in al-Makha were already paused due to several days of strikes, Abdulmalik al-Sharabi, the director general of the government-controlled facility, said on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni military said it launched 181 operations against Houthi positions in several governorates on Saturday and Sunday, killing and wounding dozens of members of the group.

The Houthis said four members were killed, but did not provide further details on the circumstances of their deaths.

Yemen had witnessed a relative lull in fighting since April 2022 in a war that began nearly 12 years ago between government forces and the Houthis, who have controlled the capital, Sanaa, and other cities and provinces since September 2014.