Scores Killed in Saudi Airstrikes in Northern, Central Yemen

 

Airstrikes aimed to reverse Houthi gains in Maarib, Bayda

by Jason Ditz 

Posted onJuly 25, 2021CategoriesNewsTagsSaudi Arabia, Yemen

Saudi warplanes were reported to have carried out a flurry of airstrikes against Houthi targets over the weekend, killing scores of Houthis in attacks near Maarib and Bayda.

17 airstrikes were reported against Surwah District, west of Maarib. The exact number killed in those strikes are still not certain. Five airstrikes hit near Bayda, killing 21 Houthis and wounding a number of others.

Maarib is the last government-held city in northern Yemen, while Bayda is south of it. Both cities have been contested, with the Houthis trying to take Maarib, and the Saudi-backed forces trying to chase them out of Bayda to make Maarib more defensible.

Territory seldom changes hands in Yemen’s War, and fighting tends to involve heavy casualties. The Saudis have been increasingly reliant on airstrikes in these fights, as ground operations are seldom decisive.

https://news.antiwar.com/2021/07/25/scores-killed-in-saudi-airstrikes-in-northern-central-yemen/