ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi forces intensified military operations against the government-controlled oil-rich province of Marib on Sunday, leaving at least 20 people killed.
An official of Marib's local authority told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that "the Houthis stepped up their military operations against military sites manned by the government forces in different areas of northeastern Marib province."
He said that the Houthi fighters simultaneously launched on-ground military operations and missile attacks against the strategic Yemeni province.
"The rebels advanced militarily following intense armed confrontations with the pro-government forces in Marib's southern parts," the source said.
Seven Houthi fighters were captured by the pro-government forces during the battles that are still taking place sporadically in Marib, according to the official.
Medical sources at Marib's public hospital confirmed to Xinhua that "today's battles resulted in the killing of nearly 17 government soldiers and injuring many others."
Earlier in the day, a Houthi-fired ballistic missile struck the headquarters of the 3rd Regional Military Command in the densely populated province of Marib, leaving three people killed and several others wounded.
On the other side, the Houthi-affiliated Masirah TV reported that the Saudi Arabia-led coalition carried out four airstrikes against Marib's district of Serwah.
But it mentioned no further details about the group's ongoing on-ground military operations in Marib.
The Houthis' military escalation in Yemen followed Washington's indication to remove the group from the terrorist list, which will reverse the decision by the previous U.S. administration under former President Donald Trump.
Earlier in the day, Yemen's government said that the U.S. revocation of designating the Houthi rebel group as a "foreign terrorist organization" would complicate Yemen's years-long crisis.
Yemen's Information Minister Muammar Iryani said in a press statement that the revocation "sends a wrong message to the rebel group and its Iranian backers by giving them more courage to continue their violent military approach."
The minister said the move by the new U.S. government under President Joe Biden "will contribute to complicating the Yemeni crisis, prolonging the coup, and will exacerbate the humanitarian suffering caused by the years-long war that was waged by the militias."
On Friday, a U.S. State Department official confirmed that Secretary of State Antony Blinken intends to remove the Houthi group from the Foreign Terrorist Organizations list and had notified the U.S. Congress of this intention.
The move came one day after Biden announced an end to U.S. support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition's offensive operations in Yemen.
Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.
The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemen conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. The war in Yemen has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million others, and pushed the country to the brink of famine. Enditem
