Ballistic Missile Attack on Marib Mosque, School Kills, Injures 29

A ballistic missile attack on a mosque and a religious school in Marib province in Yemen killed and injured at least 29 civilians, including women and children. Yemen’s information minister announced the attack in a statement on Twitter on Monday, and blamed the Houthis, \ Reuters reported. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, however.

The Iran-backed Houthis, who began in February a major push to capture the area which then led to a lull in activity, in September renewed that fight for the oil-rich stronghold city in the country’s north. Marib is located some 120 km east of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, also held by the Houthis. It is key to controlling the north of the country.

The civil war in Yemen has been on-going for the last seven years and some 80% of Yemenis are dependent on humanitarian aid. The United Nations has called it the world’s most serious humanitarian crisis.

A Saudi-led coalition of international forces intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the Saudi-backed government Sanaa in late 2014.