As heavy fighting continued for more than two days between rebels and troops in Yemen's Marib city, about 96 people have lost their lives, loyalist commanders said Friday. The fight broke out after Huthi rebels press their offensive on the government´s last northern toehold. "Clashes between the two sides on several fronts in the Marib area on Wednesday and Thursday killed 36 loyalists troops and 60 rebels," one government military source told AFP. The Iran-backed rebels rarely disclose their own losses. Aircraft of a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia provided air support to government ground forces. The Huthis are "keeping up their slow advance on Marib and now constitute a very real threat on the Kassara and Mashjah fronts, northwest of the city," another loyalist military official told AFP. The loss of Marib would be a heavy blow for the Yemeni government, currently based in the southern city of Aden, and for its Saudi backers. The city of Marib and its … [Read more...] about 96 people die as heavy fighting takes place between troops, rebels in Yemen’s Marib