The capture of the strategic oil-rich city of Marib would aid the Houthis' expansion to other provinces, marking a major blow to the coalition.
At least 200 fighters were killed and hundreds others wounded in clashes between government forces and Houthi rebels as battle for the strategic city of Marib rages in the war-torn country.
The Houthis have made territorial gains in Marib despite coalition airstrikes and fierce battles inflicting damages on both sides.
The coalition said it destroyed 36 military vehicles and killed more than 264 rebel fighters in the past 72 hours, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Iran-backed Houthis were now in control of the Assilan, Bayhan and Ain districts in Shabwa as well as the Abdiya and Harib districts in Marib, said local officials and residents.
Hundreds of Iran-backed rebels have been killed in the battle for Marib in recent days, says the Saudi-led coalition backing the Aden government.
More than 156 Houthi rebels were killed and eight military vehicles were destroyed in an operation in Abdiya, south of Marib, says the Saudi-led coalition fighting the militants in Yemen.
The intensified fighting for the northern city leaves at least 50 Houthi rebels and Yemeni pro-government troops dead. The continuing clashes have reportedly claimed around 400 lives in September.
The Iran-allied insurgents escalated their efforts to seize Marib, the government's last stronghold in northern Yemen, in February, and the fighting has killed hundreds on both sides.
The Houthis have been attempting since February to capture oil-rich Marib to consolidate their control over the northern part of war-torn Yemen.
Sources with the internationally recognised government say that 16 soldiers from their ranks were killed, including six officers.
Information minister has written in a Twitter post that the Houthis fired two ballistic missiles and two armed drones and had hit a mosque, a commercial centre and a women's correctional facility as well as ambulances rushing to the scene.
Subscribe to our Youtube channel for all latest in-depth, on the ground reporting from around the world.
Copyright © 2022 TRT World.
Like
Follow