Coalition carries out 23 operations against Houthi rebels in Hajjah and Marib

Violence in Hajjah was 875 per cent higher in January compared with the year before, war monitor says

The Saudi-led coalition said on Thursday that it had carried out 23 operations against Houthi militias in Marib and Hajjah governorates over the previous 24 hours.

Yemen’s armed forces said the attacks launched in Marib led to significant casualties and destruction of equipment in Houthi ranks.

The Houthis managed to break a siege by pro-government forces on the city of Haradh in early February, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (Acled).

After the Yemeni army took over the Mehsam military base, troops "cut off all the Houthi supply routes and imposed a strict siege around the rebels in Haradh from all directions," Acled said.

The Houthis took over Sanaa in 2014, prompting an intervention by the Saudi-led coalition the following year.

A February report by Acled said despite an overall reduction of violence across the country, violence in Hajjah escalated by 875 per cent in January relative to the year before.

On Thursday, US diplomat Steven Fagin revealed that a Houthi terrorism designation was still being considered by the State Department, just over a year after President Joe Biden revoked it.

Mr Fagin promised that the Biden administration would “continue targeted designations of individuals and entities that seek to perpetuate conflict and the humanitarian crisis in Yemen for their own gain".

“The possible designation of the Houthis as a [foreign terrorist organisation] is under review by the administration,” he said.