Yemen: Fighting Outside Marib Simmers As Houthis Take Heavy Casualties

Fighting on major battlefields outside Yemen’s central city of Marib died down on Thursday as Iran-backed Houthis halted their assaults after suffering heavy casualties and losing military equipment, two local military officials reported. It follows Yemen’s appeal to the U.S. to increase military support and training for the country’s coast guard so it can rein in the smuggling of Iranian weapons to the Houthis. Over the past five days, “unprecedented” fighting between the Yemeni government forces and the Houthis broke out in several contested areas outside Marib. The rebels renewed attacks on government forces in a bid to make gains…