At Least 38 Houthis Killed in Fighting in Yemen’s Maarib

Yemeni officials reported a seven hour battle in Maarib today, claiming to have killed 38 Houthis in the fighting. Ten Yemeni troops were also reported wounded in the fight.

This seems small compared to recent Saudi statements with 100+ Houthis killed daily and over a thousand killed a week. The Saudi statements are on Saudi airstrikes, however, while this was an actual ground exchange.

So far there was no report of any territory changing hands, which is something the statement has in common with the Saudis. Between them, the focus is always body count, while the Houthis have quietly gained ground.

The last assessments had the Houthis more or less surrounding Maarib and starting to move into the city itself. Fighting is ongoing since February, with Maarib as the last city in North Yemen the Houthis don’t totally control.