Yemeni Govt Forces Launch 181 Military Operations Against Houthis Within 24 Hrs: Spokesman

(MENAFN- IANS) Sanaa, Aug 16 (IANS) Yemeni government forces said Sunday they had launched 181 military operations against targets in Houthi-held areas over the past 24 hours, marking a sharp escalation in fighting between the two sides.

Government military spokesperson Majid al-Nuzaili said in a statement posted on X that drones, artillery and rocket launchers were used to hit Houthi positions, weapons depots, military vehicles, and other facilities allegedly used to launch attacks.

The operations killed or wounded dozens of members of the Houthi group and destroyed military equipment across seven provinces, al-Nuzaili said, without providing a detailed casualty toll, Xinhua News Agency reported.

He said the operations were launched in response to a recent wave of Houthi attacks on government forces, civilian infrastructure, economic facilities, and ports.

Meanwhile, the Houthi group said it launched an attack on the government-held city of Marib in the oil-rich province of Marib on Saturday evening, pro-government media said.

The state-run Saba TV channel, based in Marib, said the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at neighbourhoods in the city. No immediate information was available on casualties or damage.

Residents contacted by Xinhua confirmed hearing several loud explosions across the city around the time of the reported missile strikes.

The Houthis have intensified missile and drone attacks in recent weeks against government-held areas in Yemen and targets in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, a key backer of the Yemeni government.

The group announced a maritime ban on Saudi shipping on July 20 and has since claimed attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea as well as energy facilities inside the kingdom.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the Yemeni government.

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