Houthis launch offensive in Marib amid international efforts for a peace process in Yemen

March 22 (EUROPA PRESS) –

In recent hours, the Houthis have launched a large-scale offensive against positions of forces loyal to the internationally recognized Yemeni government in the province of Marib (center), amid international efforts to launch a peace talks process and after the recent signing of an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to normalize their diplomatic relations.

Sources cited by the Yemeni news portal Mareb Press, the rebels have attacked Army positions with heavy weapons after a mobilization in the area in recent weeks. The Gigantes Brigade, allied with the government forces, also participates in the combats, without official information on casualties for the moment.

The war in Yemen, unleashed in 2015, pits the internationally recognized government, now represented by the Presidential Leadership Council and supported by the international coalition led by Saudi Arabia, against the Houthis, backed by Iran. The Houthis control the capital, Sana’a, and parts of the north and west of the country.

The recent agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran for the normalization of their bilateral relations, broken in 2016, has given support to international efforts to resolve the conflict and there have even been reports in the media about the possibility that Tehran has agreed to stop giving weapons to the Houthis.