SANAA, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group claimed Thursday that it has carried out a "large-scale" military operation using ballistic missiles and drones against government forces in the eastern provinces of Marib and Hadramout, claiming "hundreds of casualties."
In a televised statement broadcast by the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the attacks hit military positions in Ruwaik in Marib and in Thaniyah and Al-Abr in neighboring Hadramout, including military camps and troop gatherings belonging to the 1st and 3rd divisions of the newly-formed, Saudi-backed Yemeni emergency forces.
He claimed that "hundreds" of government personnel were killed or wounded and that military vehicles, weapons depots and other facilities were destroyed or set ablaze. He also said military bases in Al-Wadi'ah, an area on the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border, were targeted.
Sarea said the operation was carried out after the Houthis detected what he described as large-scale Saudi military buildups that had reached their "final stages," accusing Riyadh of preparing for large ground military operations against Houthi-controlled areas.
He warned Saudi Arabia against further escalation, saying Houthi forces are "fully prepared to confront any escalation" and will continue what the group calls its "blockade-for-blockade" strategy until restrictions it accuses Riyadh of imposing on Houthi-controlled areas are lifted.
Earlier in the day, a military official told Xinhua that at least 35 Yemeni government soldiers were killed and scores of others wounded in drone attacks on military positions across Marib and Hadramout.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the attacks struck military barracks and positions at several locations across the two provinces, including bases of the Yemeni emergency forces.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni emergency forces confirmed that several military camps and units, including positions belonging to its 1st division, have been attacked, causing casualties and material losses.
The attacks followed recent security operations by government forces against criminal networks and smuggling groups operating in the region, the emergency forces said.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.
A UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022, and expired in October that year without a formal extension, but a fragile de facto ceasefire has largely held since then, despite sporadic clashes, shelling and drone attacks along several front lines.
Marib and Hadramout, both rich in oil and gas resources, remain among the most strategically important provinces under the control of the internationally recognized government.
Before the UN-brokered truce, Marib witnessed some of the conflict's fiercest fighting as Houthis sought to seize the province, while Hadramout was largely spared from major frontline combat. ■
