A Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen accelerated airstrikes on the capital Sanaa and elsewhere in the conflict-stricken country in recent weeks, as government forces advanced in the west coast and the key province of Marib, officials said Sunday.
The coalition said it hit military facilities in rebel-held Sanaa and launched airstrikes against Houthi front lines in the strategic Marib and Hodeida provinces.
A Sanaa resident told the Associated Press that a civilian area had been struck.
Government forces, meanwhile, seized a major district in Hodeida province and other areas on Yemen’s western coast, military officials from both sides said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The rebels did not immediately comment on government advances in Hodeida.
But Houthi-run media reported dozens of airstrikes by the coalition on the rebels in the provinces of Hodeida, Marib, Sanaa, Tazi and Saada.
The escalation of fighting in recent weeks comes as the rebels repeatedly push back against diplomatic efforts by the U.N. and U.S. to bring an end to the Houthis’ Marib offensive and missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The U.N. and U.S. want the Houthis to engage in negotiations to find a settlement to the years long conflict in Yemen.
(AP)