Houthis launch new strikes on Mocha, Marib amid Yemen escalation

The Houthi group launched a new wave of drone and missile attacks against the Yemeni cities of Mocha and Marib on Sunday, according to pro-government forces and local media, as military escalation mounts across the conflict-ravaged Arab country after months of relative stability.

Strikes on civilian areas

In Marib, the provincial government’s media office said six ballistic missiles and four drones targeted residential neighborhoods on Saturday evening, injuring four people and damaging homes and civilian property. One strike hit a bakery in the Al-Sharika neighborhood north of the city, wounding one person, while other attacks damaged vehicles and homes in densely populated districts, the office stated.

The National Resistance Forces, aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and led by Presidential Leadership Council member Tariq Saleh, confirmed that one missile struck Mocha without providing details regarding casualties or damage. The Houthis have not yet commented on either attack.

Calls for condemnation

The Marib media office called on the international community to “condemn these attacks and crimes targeting displacement camps, residential neighborhoods and civilian facilities, and document them as violations of international humanitarian law.” Pro-government forces have accused the Houthis of repeatedly targeting civilian infrastructure in recent weeks as fighting spreads across multiple provinces.

Conflict resumes

Yemen has witnessed a relative lull 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 since September 2014. Fighting has resumed in recent weeks in Marib, Al-Jawf, Al-Dhalea and Taiz, compounding what aid agencies describe as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.