Amid fears that Houthis could ignite a full-scale war against government forces and shatter the fragile truce in place since April 2022, Yemen’s army said on Thursday it had repelled intensified attacks by the group in the Marib and Al-Jawf frontlines.

The military’s media unit reported that army forces thwarted a Houthi assault late on Wednesday in northern and southern Marib, describing it as a hostile operation by the militants.

Houthis targeted Yemeni army positions with artillery and explosive-laden drones, killing two soldiers and wounding seven others, the army’s official September Net website reported on Thursday.

The attacks came as government forces repelled an offensive in the northern front and in the Al-Ayrif sector, south of Marib.

Military sources said army units also fought off a Houthi assault in the Hazm Mas area, north of Marib, responding with counterfire and destroying militant vehicles.

In retaliation, army artillery struck Houthi positions and weapons depots, inflicting losses on the group, the report added.

The latest Houthi escalation came a day after Yemeni army forces repelled an attempted infiltration by the group in the Qanaw front, east of Bir Al-Maraziq in Al-Jawf governorate, which borders Marib.

The military’s media center quoted a source as saying that army units detected Houthi movements near their positions and engaged them with medium and light weapons, triggering fierce clashes that lasted for hours.

According to the source, the fighting left four Houthis dead and five wounded, while government forces destroyed a militant vehicle.

The eastern frontlines of Al-Jawf frequently witness intermittent clashes due to repeated attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis, the source added.

Fears of renewed conflict in Yemen were a key focus of the latest briefing by UN Envoy Hans Grundberg to the Security Council, where he warned that the country was at a “critical turning point.”

Grundberg expressed regret over the rising hostilities, saying: “Regrettably, we have also seen a continuation of military activity in Yemen with reports of the movement of reinforcements and equipment towards the frontlines, and shelling, drone attacks and infiltration attempts by Houthis on multiple frontlines including Abyan, al Dhale, Lahj, Marib, Sadah, Shabwa and Taiz.”

“I call on the parties to refrain from military posturing and retaliatory measures that could lead to further tension and risk plunging Yemen back into conflict,” the envoy added, noting that his Office remains in regular contact with the parties, urging them to de-escalate tensions and take concrete confidence-building measures through the Military Coordination Committee.