Government sources have acknowledged the loss of 32 military and government militants. According to them, the rest was caused by attacks on the positions of Shiite rebels backed by Iran. On the other hand, the Yemeni government can count on the help of Saudi Arabia.
Marib is strategic to the Yemeni government and its allies because it is considered the last line of defense for the Yemeni oil and gas sector because the government is still on hand. In addition, it is one of the few cities in the north of the country still controlled by a government unit. The rest is in the hands of the northern rebels.
Fighting for the city erupted again in early February. At the end of February, General Ghana Shalan, commander of the Yemeni Special Forces, fell among them.
The UN fears a sharp decline in the humanitarian situation in the city and throughout Yemen. More than 100,000 people have fled the city and its environs due to the fighting, which has been going on for more than a year.
The protracted war saddened the country
War broke out in Yemen in 2014 as rebel Shiite Husseins occupied the capital, Sanaa, and advanced into Aden. The internationally recognized government has taken refuge in Saudi Arabia, with its leader Abdul Rabu Mansour Hadi calling for Saudi intervention.
The Saudi-led Arab League maintained the air force and, despite indiscriminate bombing under rebel control, failed to defeat the Shiites. Instead, they repeatedly hit targets in Saudi Arabia, bombing with drones and firing ballistic missiles. They attacked Aramco’s refineries and in February attacked Aba International Airport in the south of the country, destroying a civilian plane.
Neither side can beat it. In addition, government forces have problems with militants in southern Yemen because of a growing desire to secede from the area. Part of Yemen’s territory is controlled by extremists and terrorist groups.
In mid-February, the United States called for an end to the fighting. New US President Joe Biden wants to end the conflict that destroyed the country and led to famine. He stopped supporting Saudi Arabia militarily.