SANAA, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Dozens were killed on Thursday when fierce battles intensified between government armed forces and Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen's oil-rich central province of Marib, a military official said, as troops have achieved a major advance in the area.
The battles now are raging on in Multaka strategic area, which overlooks the main road linking Marib and rebel-held capital Sanaa.
The battles erupted after the government troops advanced firmly over the past 48 hours.
Marib, 173 km east of the capital Sanaa, has been largely under government control since last year after months of deadly fighting that eventually forced the rebels out to the province's western district of Serwah, which still at the hands of rebels to date.
"Houthis have been fighting deadly to defend their only district of Serwah at any cost," the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
"But after the government troops recaptured Marthad mountain and now are about to recapture Multaka strategic area, Serwah and the main highway to the capital Sanaa will be directly under eyes of troops," said the official.
"Dozens have been killed from both warring sides," the official said without giving a specific number. But local media reported that at least 20 rebels and 10 soldiers have been killed since last Tuesday until Thursday.
The troops' battles have been heavily backed by intensified airstrikes from a Saudi-led military coalition.
The war pits the Iranian-allied Shiite Houthi rebel movement against a Sunni Saudi-led military coalition after Houthis toppled Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government more than two years ago.
The Saudi-led coalition forces backing Hadi started military intervention and sea-air-land siege in March 2015, trying to recapture territories, including Sanaa, and reinstate Hadi into power.
Hadi forces have managed to completely liberate six southern provinces out of total 23 last year.
Fighting has still raging on and off in the provinces of Marib, Shabwah, Hodeidah, Hajjah, al-Jouf, Taiz, al-Dhalee and Lahj. But Houthis still command most of the country's northern provinces despite thousands of coalition airstrikes and economic siege imposed by the coalition forces.
The war has since killed more than 10,000, mostly civilians, and displaced around 3 million as the all-out siege has caused severe shortage of imports of medicines and food.
The war has caused an outbreak of cholera disease that has killed 1,400 people and infected 218,798 others to date, according to the World Health Organization.
