Yemeni officials say they're in strong position for battle for Marib

Yemeni officials and fighters say they are in a strong position in the fight for the strategic city of Marib.

Heated battles have taken place in recent days between forces of Yemen's internationally recognized government and the country's Iran-backed rebels around Marib.

The rebels, known as the Houthis, have been trying to seize the area for months

Yemeni military officials and tribal leaders from the area said they estimate dozens of fighters have been killed or injured in the recent fighting.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, and tribal leaders asked that their identity be concealed for their own security.

Meanwhile, a Houthi official said that they have deployed hundreds of additional fighters to the frontline near Marib in recent days.

He also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

Yemen has been convulsed by a civil war since 2014 when the Houthis took control of the capital of Sanaa and much of the northern part of the country.

That forced the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia.

Despite a relentless air campaign and ground fighting, the war has morphed into a regional conflict that has deteriorated into a stalemate, killing some 130,000 people and spawning the world’s worst humanitarian crisis

"Marib is facing a vicious war from this militia which is trying to control this city," said Marib's governor, Sultan al-Arada.

"It's been trying every once in a while, for six years, but this last battle has been intensifying for a while now, and they (the Houthis) have paid with the lives of many people, especially young men and children."

The Houthis have been attempting since February to capture Marib to complete their control over the northern part of Yemen.

But they have not made substantial progress and suffered heavy losses amid stiff resistance from government forces aided by the Saudi-led coalition supporting them.

Now, Yemeni fighters and military officials say they are making progress over the Houthis.

"By God's will and his power we were able to get rid of them (the Houthis), and now the frontline is almost on the border with Marib fully, and we will keep moving forward and keep advancing God willing," said 21-year-old Yemeni fighter Hassan Hamad Saleh.

Saleh is fighting alongside his 19-year-old brother Saeed at the Kassarah frontline

Last week, Houthi forces launched attacks on several frontline areas in the outskirts of Marib, said Lieutenant General Saggeer Azeez, chief of staff for the military of Yemen's internationally recognized government.

"Marib is not in danger and we do not fear for Marib," he said.

"We pushed back the Houthi advances from the past few months and now the Yemeni Armed Forces, the Yemeni National Army, the Popular Resistance, and the supporting tribes have all moved from a defensive to an offensive position."

Soldiers fighting on Marib's frontline were armed with rifles, some Russian made, and ammunition.

Many, including high-ranking officials however said they needed rifles, thermal control equipment, and technology to match their enemy's.

They complained they are not getting help from the Saudis who are leading the coalition.

"The world has some reservations about arming Yemen in the current time. Even our brothers in the Arab coalition have the same reservations and doubts that these arms might end up falling in the hands of others," al-Arada said.

But back at the Kassara frontline, Saleh loads up the rifle he has for now and prepares for another battle with the Houthis, saying he's not fearful of dying for his country.