‘Bullet in the head’: Battle for Yemen key to Iran-US tension

The battle for Marib will likely determine the outline of any political settlement in Yemen.

The battle for an ancient desert city in war-torn Yemen has become a key to understanding wider tensions now inflaming the Middle East and the challenges facing any efforts by President Joe Biden’s administration to shift US troops out of the region. Fighting has been raging in the mountains outside Marib as Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, who hold Yemen’s capital of Sanaa, attempt to seize the city, which is crucial to the country’s energy supplies. Saudi Arabia, which has led a military coalition since 2015 backing Sanaa’s exiled government, has launched air attacks repeatedly to blunt the Houthi advance towards Marib. The Houthis have retaliated with drone and missile attacks deep inside Saudi Arabia, roiling global oil markets.