Saudi warplanes were reported to have carried out a flurry of airstrikes against Houthi targets over the weekend, killing scores of Houthis in attacks near Maarib and Bayda.
17 airstrikes were reported against Surwah District, west of Maarib. The exact number killed in those strikes is still not certain. Five airstrikes hit near Bayda, killing 21 Houthis and wounding a number of others.
Maarib is the last government-held city in northern Yemen, while Bayda is south of it. Both cities have been contested, with the Houthis trying to take Maarib, and the Saudi-backed forces trying to chase them out of Bayda to make Maarib more defensible.
Territory seldom changes hands in Yemen’s War, and fighting tends to involve heavy casualties. The Saudis have been increasingly reliant on airstrikes in these fights, as ground operations are seldom decisive.
Scores Killed in Saudi Airstrikes in Northern, Central Yemen
Airstrikes aimed to reverse Houthi gains in Maarib, Bayda
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
Join the Discussion!
We welcome thoughtful and respectful comments. Hateful language, illegal content, or attacks against Antiwar.com will be removed.
For more details, please see our Comment Policy.
