SANAA, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Fighting between the Yemeni army and Houthi militia raged on in two districts in Yemen's central province of Marib on Friday, leaving dozens from both sides dead, a local government security source said.
The fighting erupted simultaneously in the districts of Raghwan and Majzar in the east of the province.
Tanks, artillery and missiles were used in the fighting, killing dozens from both sides and wounding others, the source in Marib told Xinhua by phone on condition of anonymity. He did not provide a specific number of the casualties.
Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said his group's fighters managed to repelled the attacks on the two districts.
Sarea said the Saudi-led coalition, which backs the government army against the Houthis, launched "35 air strikes" on his force's positions in the two districts during the fighting, according to a statement carried by the Houthi-run al-Masirah television.
The coalition has made no comment yet.
The Yemeni government controls much of Marib since it recaptured the province from the Houthis in late 2015.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthis seized control of much of the country's north and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called in March on the Yemeni warring parties to "immediately cease hostilities, and do everything possible to counter a potential outbreak of COVID-19."
However, the fighting has been escalating on multiple frontlines. Enditem
