Houthis Fire 8 Ballistic Missiles at Marib, Injure 6 in Saudi Arabia as Yemen War Escalates

The Houthi movement and the Saudi-led coalition have exchanged fresh strikes against each other, with Egypt declaring its support for Saudi Arabia [265526]. Houthi forces fired eight ballistic missiles at Marib, a city held by the Yemeni government, according to local officials in the governorate [265589]. The group targeted the city in northeastern Yemen, the authorities said.

In southwestern Saudi Arabia, a "hostile projectile" struck a residential area, injuring six people, Saudi Civil Defense reported. The attack also damaged three houses and three vehicles in the city. Authorities have not identified the source of the projectile [265593].

The Houthis have also encircled Taiz, one of Yemen's largest cities, tightening the rebels' grip on the region and raising fears for civilians trapped in the city [264993]. People in the besieged city are running out of food and fuel as Houthi forces advance and cut off basic supplies [262821].

Yemen's military said it is fighting Houthi forces on the Al-Shaqab front, south of Taiz, with clashes ongoing [260939]. The Houthis have released video they say shows military operations in Taiz province, and reports say the rebels have recently captured several strategic areas, sharply escalating the conflict in recent weeks [262095].

Fighting has intensified across the country, with Houthi rebels reporting new Saudi-led airstrikes while government forces claim battlefield gains. The Houthis said the strikes hit several areas of the country but did not give details on casualties. Government forces said they had made advances against the rebels but also gave no specifics [265533].

The Houthi group said it released 159 prisoners who surrendered during recent fighting. The prisoners were captured in ongoing clashes between Houthi forces and opposing factions in Yemen. The Houthis did not specify where the fighting took place or which groups the prisoners belonged to [264616].

Yemen's government called on the UN Security Council to condemn Houthi militia attacks on government and service facilities, residential areas and civilian sites. It also urged the Council to demand an end to the attacks and hold the militia accountable for their consequences [265303].

The Houthis are attacking airports in Saudi Arabia as Yemen's government, supported by Riyadh, launches a counteroffensive. The attacks raise questions about how Houthi missiles are reaching their targets despite Saudi Arabia spending billions on air defenses [260468].

The Houthis are a political and armed group that took control of Yemen's capital in 2014. Iran provides them with weapons and funding, according to Western and Saudi officials. The conflict has become a regional proxy war, with Saudi Arabia leading a military coalition backing Yemen's government since 2015 [260468][265526].

Yemen has been divided by conflict since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year, and fighting has continued across the country despite repeated ceasefire efforts [264616].