Battles Grow Fiercer in Yemen’s Marib, 1 Million Refugees at Risk

A Yemeni girl in traditional clothes in Sanaa, Yemen. (EPA)
A Yemeni girl in traditional clothes in Sanaa, Yemen. (EPA)
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Battles Grow Fiercer in Yemen’s Marib, 1 Million Refugees at Risk

A Yemeni girl in traditional clothes in Sanaa, Yemen. (EPA)
A Yemeni girl in traditional clothes in Sanaa, Yemen. (EPA)

The Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen continue to ignore UN and international community calls to halt their offensive against the governorate of Marib, where over a million refugees have sought asylum from ongoing violence in the war-torn country.

Instead of ceasing the attack campaign against Marib, the Houthis have stepped up recruitment, deployment and assaults against the oil-rich governorate.

Despite the UN Security Council releasing a statement calling for immediate military de-escalation in the northern governorate, the terrorist militants increased the number of fighters deployed to Marib’s western and northwestern fronts, field sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

More so, Yemen's internationally recognized government reported that the management unit operating internally displaced people (IDP) camps in Marib have recorded more than 24,000 people fleeing.

“The recent wave of escalating fighting in Marib displaced over 24,000 people during the period from Feb. 6 to April 16 this year,” it said in a statement, adding that newly displaced people are facing harsh living conditions, including lack of shelter, food, potable water and medical supplies.

The UN refugee agency, for its part, warned that tens of thousands of Yemenis are being forced to flee Marib.

“The fighting is increasingly impacting areas in and around Marib city, where large numbers of people already displaced by the ongoing conflict are sheltering,” said UNHCR spokesperson Aikaterini Kitidi.

“In the first quarter of the year, at least 70 incidents of armed violence – shelling, crossfire and airstrikes – resulted in injuries or deaths of civilians in Marib, according to UNHCR’s protection partners,” she added.

According to Kitidi, in March alone, there were 40 civilian casualties, including 13 in makeshift settlements for displaced families.

“This is the highest number in a month since 2018 in Marib,” she warned.

Since the escalation of fighting, more than 13,600 residents in the region have been forced to flee their homes. Kitidi said the new displacement is putting a heavy strain on public services.

As a consequence, she revealed families are forced to share their shelters with up to three others.

“One in four families have no access to toilets, showers, or hand washing facilities near their shelters. With a second wave of COVID-19 hitting Yemen, and only half of the country’s health facilities functioning, the lack of sanitary services is making the situation more dire,” Kitidi warned.



Suspected US Airstrikes Kill at Least 6 People in Yemen

Light breaks through the sky as US airstrikes strike a plastic materials factory on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen, 13 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Light breaks through the sky as US airstrikes strike a plastic materials factory on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen, 13 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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Suspected US Airstrikes Kill at Least 6 People in Yemen

Light breaks through the sky as US airstrikes strike a plastic materials factory on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen, 13 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Light breaks through the sky as US airstrikes strike a plastic materials factory on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen, 13 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

Suspected US airstrikes around Yemen's Houthi-held capital killed at least six people and wounded 26 overnight, the Houthis said Monday as they also claimed shooting down another American MQ-9 Reaper drone.

Since its start nearly a month ago, the intense campaign of US airstrikes under President Donald Trump targeting the Houthis over their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters — related to the Israel-Hamas war — has killed over 120 people, according to casualty figures released Monday by the Houthis' Health Ministry.

Footage aired by the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel showed firefighters spraying water on a raging fire they described as being sparked by the airstrikes. Rubble littered a street as rescuers carried one person away from the site, which the group claimed was a ceramics factory in the Bani Matar neighborhood of Sanaa, the capital.

The US military’s Central Command, which oversees American military operations, did not acknowledge the strikes. That follows a pattern for the command, which now has authorization from the White House to conduct strikes at will in the campaign that began March 15.

The American military also hasn’t been providing any information on targets hit. The White House has said over 200 strikes have been conducted so far.

Houthis claim another American drone shot down

The Houthis separately claimed Sunday night they shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone over Yemen's Hajjah governorate, which sits to the northwest of the country on the Red Sea on the country's border with Saudi Arabia.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, described the downing in a prerecorded video message as the fourth in two weeks by the group. Saree said the Houthis targeted the drone with “a locally manufactured missile.” They have surface-to-air missiles — such as the Iranian missile known as the 358 — capable of downing aircraft.

Iran denies arming the group, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments heading to Yemen for the Shiite Houthi group despite a United Nations arms embargo.

General Atomics Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes over 40,000 feet (12,100 meters) and remain in the air for over 30 hours. They have been flown by both the US military and the CIA for years over Afghanistan, Iraq and now Yemen.

Central Command said it was aware of “reports” of the drone being shot down, but did not elaborate.

US strikes come as part of monthlong intense campaign

An AP review has found the new US operation against the Houthis under President Donald Trump appears more extensive than that under former President Joe Biden, as Washington moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel and dropping bombs on cities.

The new campaign of airstrikes started after the Houthis threatened to begin targeting “Israeli” ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip. The group has loosely defined what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning many vessels could be targeted.

The Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships without success.

The US campaign shows no signs of stopping, as the Trump administration has also linked its airstrikes on the Houthis to an effort to pressure Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program.