Illustrative image, source: the Houthis media wing.
On October 4, a ballistic missile struck communication towers in the western outskirts of the city of Ma’rib, which is held by Saudi-backed forces.
The missile was allegedly launched by the Houthis (Ansar Allah) from the province of Saada, to the north of Ma’rib. As a result of the strike, all communications were cut off Ma’rib city.
The communication towers were equipped with military and civilian systems. The two main telecommunication companies in Yemen, MTN and Sabafon, were transmitting from the towers.
The Houthis are currently leading a large-scale offensive to capture Ma’rib city and nearby oil fields from Saudi-backed forces.
In the last few weeks, the Houthis made significant gains in southern Ma’rib. The group also stepped up its missile strikes on the province, according to pro-Saudi sources.
On October 28, a ballistic missile struck the house of Sheikh Abdul Latif al-Qibli Nimran, a Saudi-backed tribal leader, in the town of Al Sayyad. The Sheikh survived the attack. However, 12 people, including two of his children, were killed. On November 1, a ballistic missile strike targeted a mosque and a religious school run by Salafist scholar Yahia al-Hajuri in the town of al-Aumd. Al-Hajuri survived the attack. Nevertheless, 39 people were killed.
While all recent ballistic missile strikes on Ma’rib were attributed to the Houthis, the group is yet to official claim responsibility.
The Saudi-led coalition has been working nonstop to repel the Houthis’ offensive in Ma’rib. The coalition claims that more than 115 Houthi fighters were killed and 14 vehicles of the group were destroyed in the province as a result of some 25 airstrikes which were carried out by its warplanes between November 3 and 4.
💪😂