CAIRO (AP) — Clashes between Yemeni government forces and the country’s Huthi rebels attacking the key central city of Marib killed a senior military commander on Monday, officials said. The Huthis launched an offensive earlier this year on the city in an effort to complete their control over the northern half of Yemen. Government forces had earlier advanced a few kilometers (miles) following fierce battles south of the city, one of the officials said. The rebels stepped up attacks on Marib in recent weeks, sending waves of fighters to try and breach government defenses. Last month, government forces took the district of Hays and a major highway linking the contested port city of Hodeida with the rebel-held capital of Sanaa.
