Fifteen US airstrikes hit districts in Yemen’s Marib province on Monday, Yemen’s SABA news agency reported, as the daily US bombing campaign on the country continues.
Marib is in the eastern part of Houthi-controlled Yemen, which is where 80% of Yemenis live. The province was the site of heavy ground fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces in 2021 during the US-backed Saudi/UAE war on Yemen, which hasn’t officially ended but has been frozen since a 2022 ceasefire.
The 2022 ceasefire ended Saudi airstrikes on Yemen, but there have been occasional flare-ups on the ground, including in Marib, and Saudi shelling across the Saudi-Yemen border.
The US strikes on Marib come amid reports that the US and Saudi-backed government, which is based in Saudi Arabia, may be preparing forces for a ground assault against the Houthis, who are officially known as Ansar Allah. While the government’s leadership is based in Saudi Arabia, its allied forces are in the eastern and southern parts of Yemen.
Ahmed Hassan, a commentator based in Yemen, said in a post on X that the US attacks on Marib could be an indication that a ground offensive is imminent since the strikes hit areas where the Houthis have defensive lines.
Backing a new ground offensive against the Houthis means the US would likely be supporting fighters linked to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The Saudi/UAE coalition that fought against the Houthis is known for recruiting al-Qaeda members to fight on the ground, and the military wing of the US-backed government includes former al-Qaeda commanders.
The daily US airstrikes have failed to deter the Houthis, who have vowed their attacks against Israel and Israeli shipping would continue until there’s a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli blockade on the territory.
A senior member of Ansar Allah’s political bureau has said the Houthis would stop attacks on US warships if the US stopped bombing Yemen. Trump administration officials have claimed they would stop the airstrikes if the Houthis declared they would stop targeting US ships, but there’s no sign the US is considering the offer since the bombing campaign is really about protecting Israel.
