At least 20 dead as rebel rockets hit market in Yemen’s Marib

Iran-backed rebels fired Katyusha rockets at a busy market in Yemen’s eastern city of Marib killing at least 20 people today, medics and witnesses said.

“Twenty civilians were killed and dozens wounded” in the attack, a medical official said. Witnesses said the provincial capital’s market was targeted.

The attack came hours after a Saudi-led coalition air strike killed seven rebels in Marib, where Apache helicopters have also joined the fight against Huthi Shiite insurgents and their allies.

The coalition strike targeted a military vehicle used by the rebels in Marib province, while other air raids targeted rebel positions in neighbouring Shabwa, military sources said.

The UN estimates that more than 4,500 people have been killed in the Yemeni conflict since March.