Fighting Continues to Rage as Houthis Claim Gains in North Yemen

Intense fighting continues to be reported in northern Yemen’s Maarib Province, where pro-Saudi government forces are fighting to hold their last northern holding from the Houthis. The signs are that the Houthis are wearing them down.

Though the Maarib holding itself is still in government hands, the area overlooking the city has fallen, giving the Houthis a vantage point for further offensives to come.

Maarib’s value is primarily in being the “last” northern holding outside Houthi control, and its fall would mean they have, years into this war, secured the whole north of Yemen.

This could be a step toward new negotiations, as it makes clear as ever that the war isn’t a way to defeat the Houthis, and that even if the Saudis can’t get everything they want in negotiations, they’re never going to get it in a war, either.