Houthis advance on Yemen's Marib after taking mountain: govt source | THE DAILY STAR

Yemen's Houthi rebels have made major advances on Marib city, the government's final holdout in the country's north, after hours of clashes, government military sources said on Friday.

The Houthis and the government have been locked in a power struggle since 2014, when the Iran-backed insurgents seized control of the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Since last month, the rebels have been pushing to seize Marib, the government's last northern stronghold and the capital of an oil-rich region.

The Houthi rebels "took control of Mount Hilan overlooking the city, after fighting which left dozens of dead and wounded on both sides," one of the sources told AFP.

"Marib is in danger," another source said, adding the loss of the mountain posed "a threat to Marib's first line of defence".

The Houthis had "cut the supply lines of some fronts and are now within firing range of the Al-Mashjab line west of Marib city," the source said.