Houthi forces launched multiple missile and drone strikes on Marib over the weekend, including an initial salvo of four ballistic missiles and four drones, followed by additional missiles that caused injuries and property damage. Authorities warned the strikes threaten residential areas and camps hosting more than two million internally displaced people. The attacks come amid wider fighting on several fronts and follow deadly Houthi strikes in August that significantly escalated the conflict. The UN special envoy has warned the renewed fighting risks a return to full-scale war since the 2022 truce.
Houthi Missiles and Drones Strike Marib — Residential Areas and Displacement Camps Hit
People walk near the damage at Mail al-Saila internally displaced persons (IDP) camp on the outskirts of Marib following a reported Houthi ballistic missile attack on the government-held city on August 7, amid an escalation in hostilities [AFP]
Local authorities say Houthi forces launched multiple missile and drone strikes on the government-held city of Marib, damaging homes and other civilian infrastructure and causing several injuries.
What Happened
Marib's provincial authority reported that the city was hit on Saturday by four ballistic missiles and four drones, causing injuries and damage to homes, vehicles and other property. Officials later said a fifth ballistic missile injured one person, and a sixth missile was launched toward Marib overnight into Sunday.
Humanitarian Impact
Authorities warned that the strikes are part of an "ongoing assault that threatens the lives of civilians, displaced persons' camps, and residential neighbourhoods." Marib hosts the largest population of internally displaced people in Yemen — more than two million of the roughly five million Yemenis displaced by the war now live there.
Yemen's Ministry of Information called the continued targeting of densely populated areas a dangerous "escalation" that deepens suffering and threatens civilian lives.
Frontline Clashes
The Marib strikes coincided with fighting further south. Yemeni government forces said drone strikes on Saturday killed three Houthi fighters, including field commanders, and wounded others along the Maqbanah front west of Taiz. A separate strike in Jabal al-Zuhayb reportedly destroyed a Houthi military vehicle and killed several fighters, according to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba).
Context And Escalation
Officials say the attacks are part of a rapid escalation that began in early August, when Houthi missile and drone strikes on military camps in Marib and Hadramout killed at least 30 government soldiers — the deadliest episode of the conflict in years. In subsequent days Houthi strikes also killed civilians and caused further casualties in Marib and the port city of al-Makha (Mocha).
International Reaction
Video footage verified by Al Jazeera showed destruction after Saturday's strikes. United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg warned the UN Security Council that Yemen faces its highest risk of returning to full-scale war since the UN-brokered truce of April 2022, as fighting intensifies on multiple fronts.
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