MARIB, Yemen — The Saudi-led coalition targeting Yemen’s Shiite rebels pounded the insurgents’ positions Thursday with heavy artillery fire on the outskirts of the central city of Marib, part of their push to retake the capital, Sanaa.
The heavy bombardment came hours after the rebels, known as Houthis, aired footage on their satellite television channel purporting to show a Saudi soldier held as a prisoner of war. A top al-Qaida leader in Yemen meanwhile praised the campaign against the Houthis and called for Islamic rule in the Arab world’s poorest country.
The dull thud of artillery fire rumbled across Marib but its residents, many carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles, appeared unperturbed by the nearby fighting. Shops downtown were open for business, and residents crowded a market to buy qat leaves, a mild narcotic widely consumed in Yemen.
Marib is the capital of the largely desert province of the same name east of the capital. Authorities say the coalition’s operations in the area include targeting Houthi positions near the Marib dam and the town of Sirwah, about 25 miles west on the road to Sanaa.
