Yemeni militias backed by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, cheering recent gains in the Shabwah Province, have announced that they are moving on to attack the contested Maarib Province.
Houthi presence in Shabwah was mostly along a supply route to Maarib. With those lines cut, the Saudi-led force seems to believe they can recover parts of Maarib.
The southern separatists are also committing forces to raid Maarib, presenting the fighting as necessary to “keep the south safe” by driving the Houthis back.
It’s almost never that easy in Yemen, which is why the battle for Maarib has been raging for 11 months already. The Houthis have committed tens of thousands of reinforcements to the area, and certainly will keep doing so amid this new offensive.
Plausible. It’s not like the Houthi offensive on Maarib was a surprise attack. The Houthis need it to recover resources stolen by the internationally recognized puppets.