Why the Houthi advance towards Yemen’s Marib, Taiz matters

Yemen’s government forces have carried out air attacks against the Iran-backed Houthis to repel their advances, as the rebel group has been gaining ground in government-held positions in the past week.The focus of the fighting is now shifting to the region of Marib – the government’s last remaining stronghold in the north and a major oil and gas hub. Should the Houthis gain control of it, it could decisively turn the tide of the war in their favour, say analysts.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Houthi projectile wounds two, damages mosque in Jazan region, Saudi sayslist 2 of 3Yemen’s Houthis seize strategic Mayun Island in Red Sealist 3 of 3More than 2,000 Yemenis flee to Djibouti as fighting intensifiesend of listHeated battles are also taking place in western Taiz, on the western coast, where reports suggest government forces, supported by Saudi Arabia, are now on the counteroffensive after losing some ground there last week. A video released on Monday by the Yemeni army purports to show Houthi positions and vehicles being bombed there.Trapped in the middle are the civilians. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that more than 85,000 have b...