Houthi strikes on Marib and al-Makha escalate Yemen conflict

Houthi forces escalated their military campaign in Yemen overnight with a wave of missile and drone strikes on the government-held cities of Marib and al-Makha, killing several people and forcing the suspension of operations at a strategic Red Sea port. The attacks mark a significant surge in violence, shattering months of relative calm that had largely held since a UN-brokered truce in April 2022.

According to local officials and state media, the overnight assault targeted residential neighborhoods in Marib city on Saturday evening. The Marib Governorate's media office reported that six ballistic missiles and four drones were fired, wounding at least four people and damaging homes and civilian infrastructure. One strike hit a bakery in the al-Sharika district north of the city. In parallel, attacks struck the outskirts and a main road in the coastal city of al-Makha, also known as Mocha, killing at least four people and injuring eight, according to the director of the al-Makha airport. An unnamed military official cited by the AFP news agency placed the al-Makha death toll at eight.

The barrage has crippled commercial activity at al-Makha port, a key facility in southwestern...