Yemeni legitimate forces capture key military sites in Marib‏‏

Pro-government Yemeni forces announced on Tuesday capturing key military sites from the Houthi rebels following intense battles in the country's oil-rich province of Marib.

The government forces backed by local tribal fighters "achieved military advancement and expelled the rebels from key locations in the western part of Marib, particularly in the AlKasara battlefront," the Yemeni Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"Many Houthi elements were either killed or wounded, and two vehicles loaded with weapons and ammunition were completely destroyed during the fighting," it added.

The Houthis-affiliated Masirah TV network reported that more than 10 airstrikes were launched by the warplanes of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition against the Houthi targets in Marib.

Earlier in the day, the pro-government Yemeni forces declared killing some senior Houthi commanders with an airstrike on their meeting in Marib's southwestern part.

The Houthis began in February a major offensive on Marib in an attempt to seize control of the oil-rich province.

Yemen's war flared up in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government.