44 killed in 'bloody' battles in Yemen's Marib

"Houthi fighters carried out large-scale military operations from different directions against several sites of pro-government forces in western Marib," the official told Xinhua news agency on Saturday.

Pro-government local tribesmen also engaged in the armed confrontations with the Houthi attackers who used heavy weapons including artillery shelling, he added.

The battles resulted in the killing of 27 Houthi fighters and 17 pro-government soldiers, while dozens were injured, according to the official.

Warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition carried out a series of airstrikes and targeted military reinforcements of the Houthi group near Marib, the official noted.

Fighting has continued in various Yemeni provinces as regional and international powers are still making efforts to end the long-lasting conflict and achieve permanent peace in the impoverished Arab country.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni military conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government.
(IANS)