Houthi rebels look to take Marib, prolonging Yemen’s war

JUST TWO years ago, from the mountains to the east, forces loyal to the Yemeni government could see the capital, Sana’a. It was the closest they had got to the city since the Houthis, a group of Shia rebels, overran it in 2014. But now the government’s forces are on the defensive. They have been pushed back to Marib, the last big city in the north still held by the government (and seat of a province with the same name). The Houthis are within 4km of it (see map). Only air strikes by Saudi Arabia, which supports the government, slow their advance.