Two civilians were killed and 14 others sustained varying injuries in a preliminary toll from attacks launched by the Iran-backed Houthi group on Friday evening against residential neighborhoods and displacement camps in Marib city. The attacks coincided with a major military escalation in which the group used around 30 missiles and drones.
The Ministry of Public Health and Population said in a statement that the Houthi bombardment targeted several residential neighborhoods and displacement camps. It added that hospitals and health facilities had been instructed to raise their alert and readiness levels and mobilize medical and emergency resources to save the wounded and provide them with the necessary care.
The ministry said medical and emergency teams were continuing to treat the casualties, noting that the toll remained preliminary and could be updated based on information received from health facilities and the relevant authorities.
It described the targeting of residential neighborhoods and displacement camps, which resulted in civilian casualties, as “a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and international conventions,” calling for a serious and urgent response to protect civilians and end the continued attacks against them.
In a statement issued following the attacks, the Houthi group said it had targeted the “Sahn al-Jinn” military camp in Marib with a large number of missiles and drones, claiming that the strikes hit troops, warehouses, vehicles, and military equipment inside the camp.
The group vowed to continue what it described as “countering escalation with escalation” and threatened to target any new military buildup. It also reiterated its commitment to the equations of “blockade for blockade” and “targeting hostile Saudi military buildups wherever they may be,” according to the statement.
In response to the Houthi attacks, the armed forces affiliated with Yemen’s internationally recognized government announced early Saturday that they had carried out a military operation targeting Houthi positions and capabilities across several fronts along the lines of contact.
Armed Forces spokesperson Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili said the operation was conducted “in exercise of the armed forces’ legitimate right to defend their security and that of their personnel, and to protect unarmed civilians,” following Houthi attacks targeting government forces and civilians in Marib and Hadramout governorates.
He added that the operation demonstrated “unity of command and control,” stressing that an attack on any front or sector constituted an attack on all fronts and sectors of the armed forces, across their various formations.
Al-Nuzaili held the Houthis and their backers responsible for the continuing escalation, warning that any new attack would be met with “the necessary and decisive military measures.”
On Thursday, the Houthis launched a series of attacks involving around eight ballistic missiles and drones against government military camps in Marib and Hadramout, including an Emergency Forces camp in the Ruwik area east of Marib. The attacks left dozens of troops dead or wounded.
The escalation is part of a series of moves initiated by the group in early May, beginning with the arrival of an Iranian aircraft that violated Yemeni airspace, followed by a second attempted flight on July 13. The group subsequently resumed attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, carried out attacks against Saudi Arabia, and expanded its operations against government forces’ positions in Marib and Hadramout.
