Officials Credit Airstrikes With Slowing Houthi Offensive in North Yemen

Military officials are crediting escalated Saudi airstrikes in the region as stalling the Houthi offensive in northern Yemen, where they’ve been attempting to take the last Maarib outpost controlled by pro-government forces.

Maarib’s value is primarily in it being the government’s last possession in northern Yemen, but officials have also emphasized it as an “oil-rich” region, which doesn’t mean much in disastrously poor Yemen.

Fighting on the ground has been bloody, and the Houthis have taken some overlooks approaching the target. They have kept sending reinforcements to contest the area, though hundreds have died on both sides.

As with everywhere else in the Yemen War, taking territory is almost never worth the cost. This is likely to be a major talking point in the peace process going forward, but so far there is a lot of resistance to making any deal to end the conflict.