Heavy fighting near Yemen’s Marib leaves 96 dead

Heavy fighting near the Yemeni city of Marib has killed 96 combatants over the past two days as Huthi rebels press their offensive on the government's last northern toehold, loyalist commanders said yesterday. "Clashes between the two sides on several fronts in the Marib area on Wednesday and Thursday killed 36 loyalists troops and 60 rebels," one government military source told AFP. The Iran-backed Shia rebels rarely disclose their own losses. Aircraft of a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia provided air support to government ground forces. The loss of Marib would be a heavy blow for the Yemeni government, currently based in the southern city of Aden, and for its Saudi backers.