Saudi Coalition: Over 260 Houthis Killed in Three Days

Houthis say airstrikes won't limit their progress

A statement reported that in 72 hours, Saudi warplanes launched dozens of strikes,  killing more than 264 Hoiuthis in and around the city of Maarib, and destroyed at least 36 military vehicles.

The strikes took place south of Maarib and to the northwest. The Houthis have effectively surrounded the city, and have been moving into it, after some eight months of fighting.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree dismissed the airstrikes and death tolls, saying that the strikes will not break the progress of ground forces, or limit their determination to take the city.

Maarib is considered valuable as the last city in North Yemen not under Houthi control. Officials have hyped it as “oil rich” as well, though in practice Yemen has almost no oil anywhere, and Maarib’s small revenue just looks big by comparison,  though virtually irrelevant economically.

Author: Jason Ditz

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.