Saudi Coalition Sends Troops to Reinforce Yemen’s Marib as Houthis Close in on Gov't Stronghold - Sputnik International

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has doubled down its defense of the central city of Marib, shuffling troops and equipment in from other parts of the country as Houthi forces close in on the city.

    Reuters reported Thursday, citing sources in the Yemeni government and military, that hundreds of fighters from eastern Yemen’s Hadramaut and Shabwa Governorates had arrived in Marib, about 75 miles east of the Houthi-controlled capital of Sana’a, and that the Royal Saudi Air Force had intensified its airstrikes on Houthi positions.

Al-Masirah, a Houthi media outlet, claimed on Thursday that the government reinforcements included members of Daesh* in their ranks. Local affiliates of Daesh and al-Qaeda* have both struggled for influence in eastern Yemen since even before the war began in 2015, with some Western-made weapons sold to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, another coalition partner, being found in their hands.