Over 180 Houthi rebels killed outside Yemen's Marib

Hundreds of Iran-backed rebels have been killed in the battle for Marib in recent days, authorities say

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  Fighters loyal to Yemen's government on the front line facing Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the country's north-eastern province of Marib on September 27. All photos: AFP

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  Fighting has intensified and the death toll has mounted in recent weeks, military sources say.

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  Fighters loyal to Yemen's government perform a traditional dance at a position near the front line facing Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Marib.

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  Smoke billows during clashes between forces loyal to Yemen's government and Houthi rebel fighters in Marib.

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  A pro-government fighter fires at positions held by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in clashes for the strategic city of Marib.

The Saudi Arabia-led coalition supporting Yemen's government said on Friday it had killed more than 180 Houthi rebels in strikes south of the strategic city of Marib.

An operation "destroyed 10 military vehicles and killed more than 180 terrorist elements" in Abdiya and surrounding areas, south of Marib, the coalition said, cited by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The coalition has said hundreds of Iran-backed rebels have been killed in the battle for Marib in recent days. Hundreds of thousands of civilians, including displaced people from other areas of Yemen, are at risk from the Houthi advance.

The Yemeni civil war began when the Houthi rebels seized the capital Sanaa in 2014. The coalition intervened soon after.

The Houthis began a major push to seize Marib in February and, after a lull, have renewed their offensive in recent weeks.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in the province this year, including about 10,000 of them in September alone, the UN migration agency said.