(18 Oct 2021) Fighting continued near the city of Marib in eastern Yemen on Monday between Shiite rebels and forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognised government.
The Iran-backed Shiite Houthis have stepped up their push in the strategic province over the past weeks while also escalating cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia, which is leading a military coalition that has been fighting on the government side against the Houthis.
The escalation comes as government forces launched a counter-offensive to wrestle areas that had been overrun by the rebels last week.
Yemen has been convulsed by civil war since 2014 when the Houthis captured the capital, Sanaa, and much of the north of the country, forcing the internationally recognised government to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in March 2015, backed by the United States, to try restore the government to power.
Despite a relentless air campaign and ground fighting, the war has deteriorated largely into a stalemate and spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
The Houthis have for years attempted to take oil-rich Marib to complete their control over the northern half of Yemen.
In recent months, they accelerated their push and the ensuing fighting has claimed a high number of fighters from both sides in the past several weeks.
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