A Houthi ballistic missile attack on the Yemeni province of Marib has killed and injured 29 civilians, including women and children, according to the country’s information minister.

In a tweet on Monday, Muammar al-Iryani, said the two ballistic missiles used in the attack hit a mosque and a religious school.

The Marib governor’s office said the attack took place late on Sunday.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility by the Iranian-backed Houthis.

Fighting between government forces and Houthis has escalated in recent months. The United Nations says some 10,000 people were displaced in September by fighting in Marib, the internationally-recognised government’s last northern stronghold. It is calling for a humanitarian corridor for aid.

The war in Yemen and ensuing economic collapse, as well as restrictions on imports to Houthi-held areas, have caused what the UN says is the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis, with 16 million people facing starvation.

A coalition of forces led by Riyadh intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Iran-aligned Houthis removed the Saudi-backed government from the capital Sanaa in late 2014. The Houthis say they are fighting a corrupt system and foreign aggression.

The Houthi movement said in October they had seized new territory in the energy-rich provinces of Shabwa and Marib – gains confirmed by sources – as it presses an offensive likely to further complicate international peace efforts. (Al Jazeera and News Agencies)

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