Fighting has intensified in Yemen as Iranian-backed Houthi militia advances on the oil-rich Marib Province after seizing the Red Sea coastline. Analysts warn that capturing Marib would be a major strategic and symbolic win for the Houthis, threatening the government’s economic lifeline and risking a fresh humanitarian crisis. Marib, about 75 miles east of Sanaa, hosts some of Yemen’s largest oil and gas fields, and its fall would expose the government’s finances and legitimacy.

Pro-government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, have used airstrikes to repel Houthi pushes, but the militia has countered with missile fire. The Houthis claim tribal elders in Marib have called for liberation, while government officials describe recent clashes as among the most intense since 2021. Saudi Arabia views a Houthi takeover of Marib as a direct threat to its national security due to the province’s proximity to the border.

The Yemeni government remains based in Aden, with the country effectively divided between Houthi-controlled north and government-held south.