Yemenis Launch Social Media Campaign to Support Marib

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalek arriving in the eastern governorate of Hadhramout, Asharq Al-Awsat
Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalek arriving in the eastern governorate of Hadhramout, Asharq Al-Awsat
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Yemenis Launch Social Media Campaign to Support Marib

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalek arriving in the eastern governorate of Hadhramout, Asharq Al-Awsat
Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalek arriving in the eastern governorate of Hadhramout, Asharq Al-Awsat

Hundreds of Yemeni activists are campaigning on social media for backing army forces on battlefronts west of Yemen’s Marib governorate, where Iran-backed Houthi militias have been fighting pro-government forces fiercely for four months in a row.

In their social media posts, both civilians and politicians urged more reinforcement to army forces in Marib, arguing that the battle there is vital to defeating the Iranian project in Yemen.

They also called for a swift victory, deploying additional defense brigades to Marib and driving Houthi militias out of positions they hold in the governorate.

The campaign coincided with military reports reaffirming that the army, backed by the Arab Coalition air forces, is constantly repelling Houthi attacks west of Marib.

Yemeni Information Minister Moammar Al-Eryani pointed out that government forces in Marib are not only fighting for the sake of preserving national interests but are also fighting against Iran’s expansionist ambitions and the terrorism of Houthi militias.

The internationally recognized Yemeni government accused the insurgents of following the Iranian agenda and blocking peace efforts.

According to the government, Houthis have insisted on the military escalation in Marib and failed to comply with the UN and international calls to end all attacks and to achieve peace.

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalek visited the eastern governorate of Hadhramout on Sunday.

“Abdulmalek arrived in Mukalla on an inspection visit to the governorate of Hadhramout,” a tweet posted by the prime minister’s official account said.

Although he arrived in Mukalla, Hadhramout’s provincial capital, Abdulmalek’s several-day trip will include Mahara and Shabwa.

Abdulmalek intends to examine living conditions in the governorate and discuss concerns and needs in terms of projects and services needed by residents. He will also review local authority efforts in service and development, achieving security and stability and responding to urgent priorities.

The premier was received, at Ryan airport, by Hadhramout Governor Faraj al-Bohsoni and several officials.

This is the first visit paid by the Yemeni prime minister to the governorate since the government formation.



Gaza a ‘Mass Grave’ of Palestinians, Says MSF, as Israeli Strikes Kill 13 

People walk past a puddle of water by tent shelters erected near the rubble of a collapsed building in the Nasr neighborhood in western Gaza City on April 15, 2025. (AFP)
People walk past a puddle of water by tent shelters erected near the rubble of a collapsed building in the Nasr neighborhood in western Gaza City on April 15, 2025. (AFP)
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Gaza a ‘Mass Grave’ of Palestinians, Says MSF, as Israeli Strikes Kill 13 

People walk past a puddle of water by tent shelters erected near the rubble of a collapsed building in the Nasr neighborhood in western Gaza City on April 15, 2025. (AFP)
People walk past a puddle of water by tent shelters erected near the rubble of a collapsed building in the Nasr neighborhood in western Gaza City on April 15, 2025. (AFP)

Gaza has become a "mass grave" for Palestinians and those trying to help them, medical charity MSF said on Wednesday, as medics said the Israeli military killed at least 13 in the north of the enclave and continued to demolish homes in Rafah in the south.

Palestinian medics said an airstrike killed 10 people, including the well-known writer and photographer, Fatema Hassouna, whose work has captured the struggles faced by her community in Gaza City through the war. A strike on another house further north killed three, they said.

There was no comment from the Israeli military.

In Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, residents said the Israeli military demolished more homes in the city, which has all come under Israeli control in the past days in what Israeli leaders said was an expansion of security zones in Gaza to put more pressure on Hamas to release remaining hostages.

"Gaza has been turned into a mass grave of Palestinians and those coming to their assistance. We are witnessing in real time the destruction and forced displacement of the entire population in Gaza," Amande Bazerolle, Medecins Sans Frontieres' emergency coordinator in Gaza, said in a statement.

"With nowhere safe for Palestinians or those trying to help them, the humanitarian response is severely struggling under the weight of insecurity and critical supply shortages, leaving people with few, if any, options for accessing care."

Efforts by mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States to restore the defunct ceasefire in Gaza and free Israeli hostages have faltered with Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas locked in their positions.

Hamas says it wants to move into the second phase of the January ceasefire agreement that would discuss Israel's pullout from Gaza and ending the war, which erupted when Hamas gunmen stormed Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel says war can only end when Hamas is defeated.

ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Israel's suspension of the entry of fuel, medical, and food supplies since early March had begun to obstruct the work of the few remaining working hospitals, with medical supplies drying up.

"Hundreds of patients and wounded individuals are deprived of essential medications, and their suffering is worsening due to the closure of border crossings," the ministry said.

Israel said the punitive measures were designed to keep up pressure on Hamas, while the group condemned it as "collective punishment."

Since restarting its military offensive in March, after two months of relative calm, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,600 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities have said. The campaign has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and imposed a blockade on all supplies entering the enclave.

Meanwhile, 59 Israeli hostages remain in the hands of Hamas. Israel believes 24 of them are alive.

The war was triggered by Hamas' October 2023 attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, at least 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, according to local health authorities.