Houthis claim new round of Saudi airstrikes, as Gulf Cooperation Council strengthens cooperation

Several trends are continuing this week in the Gulf and in Yemen. The Houthis are continuing their war against the Yemen government. The Saudis continue to confront the Houthis. At the same time Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) defense ministers have agreed to establish a forward military command in Kuwait as regional tensions intensify amid renewed fighting in Yemen, Iranian threats to maritime shipping and ongoing Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. The trends are important. The GCC is strengthening and learning lessons from 9 months of conflict. The Houthis are suffering losses.The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen reported a series of Saudi military attacks on Wednesday, including airstrikes in Taiz and Lahj provinces, artillery shelling along the Saudi-Yemen border and an attempted incursion into airspace over the capital, Sanaa, by Saudi F-15 fighter jets. The claims were published by the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah media network, which described the incidents as part of a renewed Saudi military escalation.While some of this may be Houthi propaganda, it's worth reading what the Houthis claim to understand how they perceive what is happening. They have been on the offensive in the last months but they also suffered setbacks. They are laying siege to the city of Taiz for instance. They also claim there have been civilians killed in he fighting in Saadah province.Yemen's Houthi-run Health and Environment…