SANAA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group launched an attack on the government-held city of Marib in the oil-rich province of Marib on Saturday evening, pro-government media said.
The state-run Saba TV channel, based in Marib, said the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at neighborhoods in the city. No immediate information was available on casualties or damage.
Residents contacted by Xinhua confirmed hearing several loud explosions across the city around the time of the reported missile strikes.
The Houthis have yet to comment on the reported attack.
The Houthis have intensified missile and drone attacks in recent weeks against government-held areas in Yemen and targets in neighboring Saudi Arabia, a key backer of the Yemeni government.
The group announced a maritime ban on Saudi shipping on July 20 and has since claimed attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea as well as energy facilities inside the kingdom.
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 Yemeni government.
A UN-brokered truce that took effect in April 2022 expired six months later without a formal extension, but a fragile de facto ceasefire has largely held until the recent escalation. ■
