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WORLD NEWS Monday 2 March 2020

Officials say Yemen's rebels seize Thousands bury

strategic northern city Hezbollah fighters killed

in Syria’s Idlib
By MAGGIE MICHAEL and
SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press
CAIRO (AP) — Yemen's
Houthi rebels wrested con-
trol of the strategic north-
ern city of Hazm, officials
on both sides of the con-
flict said Sunday, a major
blow to the internationally
recognized government
backed by Saudi Arabia.
Capturing the capital of
Jawf province after weeks
of fighting could pave Tribesmen loyal to the Houthi rebels chant slogans as they hold
the way for the rebels to their weapons during a gathering aimed at mobilizing more
move toward the central fighters for the Houthi movement in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday,
province of Marib, one of Feb. 25, 2020. Mourners carry the coffin a Hezbollah fighter who was killed in
the shrinking safe spots for Associated Press Syria's northwestern Idlib region, during a funeral for him and four
comrades in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday,
those opposing the Houthis Two government officials able them to expand to March 1, 2020.
in northern Yemen. It also confirmed the city had fall- Marib and even try to take Associated Press
could cause a new wave en, but said government over the south," said Fatima
of displacement in the war- forces aided by Saudi co- al-Asrar, a non-resident By HASSAN AMMAR er have turned the tide of
torn country. alition airstrikes were at- scholar at the Washington- Associated Press the war. Over the past two
Yemen, the Arab world's tempting to push back. based Middle East Institute. BEIRUT (AP) — Thousands of years, as the security situa-
poorest nation, has been All the officials spoke on She said Houthi advances mourners thronged the cof- tion stabilized in many ar-
convulsed by civil war since condition of anonymity would increase the vulner- fins of five fighters from the eas, Hezbollah withdrew
2014. That's when the Iran- because they were not au- ability of both civilians, in- Lebanese militant group much of its forces, leaving
backed Houtis took control thorized to brief the media. cluding tribes, allied with Hezbollah, whose funeral only a few hundred fighters
of the country's north in- The coalition spokesman's the Saudi-backed govern- was held Sunday in south- in several areas across the
cluding the capital, Sanaa. office said their "opera- ment of Yemen's president, ern Beirut after they were war-torn country.
A Saudi-led military coali- tions" in Jawf "are still ongo- Abed Rabbo Mansour killed in neighboring Syria's The funeral was held in
tion intervened against the ing," but did not elaborate. Hadi. northwestern Idlib region. Beirut's southern district
Houthis the following year. The Houthi-run al-Masirah At least 1,400 families, who The fighters were among of Ghobeiri. A crowd of a
Despite relentless Saudi air- satellite TV reported that were displaced into the dis- at least eight Hezbollah few thousand people —
strikes and a blockade of the coalition carried out at trict of Gail in Jawf province members who died Friday relatives and supporters —
Yemen, the war has ground least three airstrikes in Jawf had moved to Hazm ear- in Turkish attacks amid walked behind five coffins
to a stalemate. on Sunday. lier this month. "Now thou- fierce fighting between wrapped in yellow Hezbol-
The conflict has killed over The rebels earlier this year sands more are expected Syrian President Bashar lah flags amid cries of "Al-
10,000 people and cre- seized a key supply line to leave their homes" be- Assad's forces and Turkish lahu Akbar," meaning "God
ated the world's worst hu- linking Marib with Jawf cause of the Houthi ad- troops and allied militia- is great." Heavy gunfire
manitarian crisis, leaving provinces, located along vance, she said. men. The deaths marked rang out as supporters fired
millions suffering from food the border with Saudi Ara- Oil-rich Jawf province is the highest for Hezbollah in the air, a traditional sign
and medical care shortag- bia. They also took control where the Houthis shot in Syria in years. Hezbollah of mourning. At least five
es and pushing the coun- of the strategic district of down a coalition war- sent thousands of its bat- people were seen being
try to the brink of famine Nehm, some 60 kilometers plane last month, raising tle-hardened fighters into taken on stretchers after
last year. A Houthi official (37 miles) northeast of the alarm among the Saudi- Syria in 2012, a year after they fainted, apparently
said Sunday that the Shiite rebel-held capital Sanaa. led camp that the rebels the country's conflict be- overwhelmed by emotion.
group had pushed govern- "With the seizure of Hazm, are acquiring advanced gan. They've been helping It was not clear exactly
ment forces out of Hazm the entire Jawf (province) weaponry apparently from Assad's forces win major how many Hezbollah fight-
and were "now chasing is now considered in their Iran, which has long denied battles against rebels, and ers were killed in Friday's at-
them in its outskirts." hands, and this would en- arming the Houthis.q along with Russian air pow- tacks in Idlib. q