HOUTHIS ATTACK YEMENI GOVERNMENT-HELD CITY OF MARIB

At least two civilians have been killed and 14 injured in a Houthi attack on Marib, a city held by the internationally recognised Yemeni government, according to government sources. Qassem Bahaibah, Yemen's health minister, described the Iran-aligned Houthis as a "terrorist militia" in a statement on Friday and said the casualty toll was preliminary. Authorities instructed all health facilities to raise their alert levels in response to the attack.

The Yemeni government condemned the assault in its strongest terms, stating that the deliberate targeting of residential neighbourhoods and camps of displaced people violated international humanitarian law. Marib hosts the largest concentration of displaced families in Yemen, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Friday's attack followed strikes on Thursday in which the Yemeni military reported at least 17 soldiers and one officer killed across Marib and Hadramout provinces. The Yemeni Defence Ministry said its forces had shot down several Houthi drones over Marib on Friday.

The Yemeni military issued a statement asserting that the attack would not deter armed forces from their mission to restore state institutions and impose sovereignty across national territory. The government called on the international community and human rights organisations to take action to protect civilians. The Houthis had not immediately responded to the government's statements at the time of reporting.