http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeas ... 38956.html
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east ... s/1.648660
The Saudi Arabia - Iran proxy war is reaching its peak, with the US somewhat caught in the middle. This is an awkward set of alliances if I've seen one. Shiite militias backed by Iran are at the gates of Tikrit, and US airstrikes will almost surely ensure its liberation (if you want to call it that). This was an otherwise stalled battle, with ISIS inflicting heavy casualties and holding the city for the most part.
In Yemen, Saudi Arabia in consultation with the US (and likely support) is targeting advancing Houthis backed by Iran....the world has gone mad. I don't know what the end game is from America's perspective. You don't need to have boots on the ground to develop some sort of exit strategy, and the US simply doesn't have one. We have ourselves what looks to be a perpetual conflict with sectarian overtones, and things are slowly deteriorating.