The United States urged Yemen’s Houthi militias on Tuesday to halt an offensive on the government-held city of Marib.
State Department spokesman Ned Price called on the Houthis to halt the attack, cease all military operations, and participate in a UN-led peace process.
“The Houthis’ assault on Marib is the action of a group not committed to peace or to ending the war afflicting the people of Yemen,” Price said in a statement.
Referring to UN figures that estimate 1 million Yemenis have sought refuge in Marib since the beginning of the war to escape Houthi violence, Price said this assault will only "exacerbate the humanitarian crises."
"Marib is controlled by the legitimate government of Yemen," he said.
"This assault will only increase the number of internally displaced persons and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, already home to the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe."
"If the Houthis are serious about a negotiated political solution, they must cease all military advances and refrain from other destabilizing and potentially lethal actions, including cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia," the spokesperson added.
Price urged the Houthis to “constructively participate” in UN-led peace efforts and “engage seriously” with the recently appointed US special envoy for Yemen, Timothy Lenderking.
Mark Lowcock, the UN’s humanitarian chief, also warned against the impact of the Marib attacks.
“An assault on the city would put 2 million civilians at risk, with hundreds of thousands potentially forced to flee, with unimaginable humanitarian consequences,” the UN official said in a Twitter post on Tuesday.
Battlefield sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that ten days prior to the military operation, the Houthis deployed fighters in several fronts in the west and northwest of Marib.
They added that the Houthi militants resort to rugged terrains to circumvent the Yemeni army’s front lines.
The army, for its part, continues to repel the attacks, backed by the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen.
