Yemen Military Spokesman to Asharq Al-Awsat: Marib is Secure, Houthis are Surrounded

A pro-government tribal fighter sits in a position where he fights against the Houthis in Marib, Yemen October 2, 2020. (Reuters)
A pro-government tribal fighter sits in a position where he fights against the Houthis in Marib, Yemen October 2, 2020. (Reuters)
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Yemen Military Spokesman to Asharq Al-Awsat: Marib is Secure, Houthis are Surrounded

A pro-government tribal fighter sits in a position where he fights against the Houthis in Marib, Yemen October 2, 2020. (Reuters)
A pro-government tribal fighter sits in a position where he fights against the Houthis in Marib, Yemen October 2, 2020. (Reuters)

The Yemeni army said that the central Marib province was completely “secured and stable” despite the intense offensive launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militias for over two weeks.

Military spokesman Abdo Majali told Asharq Al-Awsat that tribal members have joined the frontlines to fend off the offensive, leaving the Houthis surrounded.

“Marib will not yield to the terrorist Houthi coup militias and the situation there is a 100 percent reassuring,” he stressed.

“Men from various tribes and provinces are defending Marib, the revolution and republic, with air cover from the Arab coalition,” he went on to say.

Moreover, he said that the military has shifted from defensive to offensive positions on several fronts, turning the table on the Houthis.

“The Houthis have been defeated in Marib after our forces resorted to tactical operations, such as the element of surprise,” he continued.

Confronted with successive losses, the Houthis have resorted to launching ballistic missiles and armed drones on Marib city and Saudi Arabia, Majali added, slamming the militias for their violations of international law and saying their actions are equal to war crimes.

“The militias are pushing all of their followers to the death trap and destruction in Marib, especially on the Murad, Sirwah, Helan, al-Mashjah, al-Kasara and al-Makhrdra fronts,” he remarked.



UNICEF Says the World Has Failed Gaza’s Children

Executive Director of UNICEF Catherine M. Russell speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the conflict in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, at the United Nations headquarters on July 16, 2025, in New York City. (AFP)
Executive Director of UNICEF Catherine M. Russell speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the conflict in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, at the United Nations headquarters on July 16, 2025, in New York City. (AFP)
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UNICEF Says the World Has Failed Gaza’s Children

Executive Director of UNICEF Catherine M. Russell speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the conflict in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, at the United Nations headquarters on July 16, 2025, in New York City. (AFP)
Executive Director of UNICEF Catherine M. Russell speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the conflict in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, at the United Nations headquarters on July 16, 2025, in New York City. (AFP)

More than 17,000 kids have reportedly been killed and 33,000 wounded in the ongoing war in Gaza, UNICEF’s executive director Catherine Russell told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

She said each of the territory's one million children have faced immense suffering.

An average of 28 kids die daily in Gaza, “a whole classroom of children killed every day for nearly two years,” she said.

Malnutrition has surged, with nearly 6,000 children acutely malnourished in June, a 180% increase since February, she said. UNICEF warns these children will face lifelong impacts.

Food supplies are running out and civilians are being shot while seeking something to eat, UN Undersecretary-General Tom Fletcher told the council.

"Civilians are exposed to death and injury, forcible displacement, stripped of dignity,” Fletcher he, emphasizing Israel’s obligation under the Geneva Conventions to provide food and medical aid as the occupying power in Gaza.

He also challenged the council to consider whether Israel’s rules of engagement incorporate all the precautions to avoid and minimize civilian casualties.