(VOVworld) – Yemeni army forces backed by air strikes from a Saudi-led coalition targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen, wrested control on Tuesday of a strategic dam in the central Ma’rib province, which has for months been under the control of Houthi militias.

Pro-government forces and Arab coalition troops raise the flags of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on a hill above the Marib Dam on September 29.

Ma’rib’s Governor Sultan Al-Arada said that ground and artillery units of the Yemeni army and coalition warplanes had liberated the Mar’ib Dam in what he called a “great and historic victory” over the Iran-backed Houthis. Army forces have also gained control of several roads surrounding the dam, which have been used by the Houthis to transport reinforcements to the area to shore up their defenses against pro-government forces. The Yemeni army, pro-government loyalists, and the coalition now hope to liberate the rest of the province, after making significant inroads against the Houthis in recent days.