Riyadh 

The Saudi-led Arab Coalition in Yemen, announced on Sunday that over 138 Houthis killed in the Coalition airstrikes within 24 hours in Yemen’s central province of Marib.

“17 military vehicles were destroyed and more than 138 Houthis members were killed“ in the latest raids, the Coalition said in a press statement carried out by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The raids targeted Al-Juba, about 50 km south of the city of Marib, and Al-Kasara, about 30 km northwest of the oil-rich city.

The Coalition, which supports the internationally recognized Yemeni government, has reported near-daily strikes over the past month against the Iran-backed Houthis, each time incurring significant losses.

The rebels, who have for months waged an offensive against Marib, rarely comment on losses.

It is not possible independently verify the Saudi tolls that total more than 2,000 dead of Houthis in air strike since October.

The Houthis began a major push to seize the city in February and after a lull they renewed their offensive operations in September.

Marib is the embattled government's last stronghold in North. A loyalist military official acknowledged Tuesday that the Houthis have made advances on ground.

Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis' seized control over the Northern capital Sanaa, prompting Saudi-led forces to intervene to prop up the government the following year.

Tens of thousands of people have died and millions displaced in what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. 

Sources: AFP, Agencies, Saudi media

Photo: Arab Coalition airstrike in the central province of Marib (File/AFP)