All articles tagged with #yemen
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claim missiles and drones against Israel, marking a new front in the regional war. The escalation could widen hostilities and jeopardize Red Sea shipping via the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, complicating global trade as Iran’s closure of Hormuz limits alternative routes. Analysts warn of possible Saudi retaliation and severe humanitarian costs if the conflict broadens.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile toward Israel, marking their first direct entry into the widening Middle East conflict; Israel said it intercepted the missile with no casualties. The incident occurs amid broader regional tensions involving Iran and ongoing US-Israeli strikes, while Red Sea shipping disruptions threaten global trade and energy markets, fueling diplomatic talks as the crisis escalates.
Iran struck Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia with six ballistic missiles and 29 drones, injuring at least 15 U.S. troops, in one of the clearest escalations against American forces as Yemen's Houthis fired their first missile toward Israel; Iran also claimed strikes on a U.S. logistics vessel near Salalah, Oman, while Washington strengthens deployments and regional powers scramble to contain a widening crisis amid Red Sea security concerns.
Iran warned it could open additional fronts, including in Yemen, and threaten to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait if provoked, signaling a credible threat to Red Sea shipping; reports also say the Houthis have mobilized across several Yemeni fronts in anticipation of possible conflict, raising regional tensions.
Houthi officials say they are weighing a blockade of the Bab al-Mandab Strait to pressure the West in support of Iran, with any closure limited to ships linked to adversaries of Iran. The move could force vessels to reroute around Africa, boosting shipping costs and oil prices and deepening regional tensions as the group coordinates with Tehran.
Yemen's humanitarian crisis deepens as Houthi authorities curb NGO activity, seize assets, and demand a share of aid, prompting funding losses after the US designated the Houthis as terrorists and forcing WFP to wind down in the north, leaving more than 22 million Yemenis in need of aid.
CPJ’s annual tally records 129 journalists killed in 2025, with about two-thirds attributed to Israeli forces—mostly Palestinian reporters in Gaza. The report highlights deadly incidents in Yemen and other conflicts, and notes Israel has conducted more targeted press killings than any other army on record.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a lengthy complaint to UAE national security adviser Tahnoon bin Zayed, accusing Abu Dhabi of backing Yemen’s RSF and supporting Sudan’s civil war in ways Riyadh cannot tolerate, while offering mediation through Khalid bin Salman. The letter, which framed Yemen as a Saudi sphere of influence and stressed national security, underscores a growing rift with the UAE even as the two sides describe their ties as brotherly and seek behind‑the‑scenes mediation in Washington.
Saudi Arabia’s formal, oddly cordial tone masks a sharp dispute with the United Arab Emirates after Riyadh bombed a UAE weapons shipment in Yemen and accused Abu Dhabi of threatening Saudi security, a rare rift between the Gulf’s two dominant powers with potentiallywide regional consequences.
Saudi Arabia pursues de-escalatory development and border security to insulate its domestic agenda, while the UAE embraces pre-emptive activism to reshape a brittle regional order. The late-2025 Yemen crisis exposed a direct Saudi–Emirati split as UAE-backed forces briefly seized border provinces before Saudi-led forces reversed them, prompting Riyadh to accuse Abu Dhabi of undermining its leadership. The dispute threatens GCC cohesion, tests responses to Israel normalization, and reshapes security arrangements and external alignments, with policymakers needing to manage competing risk tolerances rather than assuming convergence.
Somalia cut port-security deals with the UAE after Israel recognised Somaliland as an independent state, accusing Abu Dhabi of backing Somaliland and undermining Somalia’s sovereignty. The UAE reportedly pulled security assets from Bosaso, while Somaliland’s DP World-operated Berbera port remains active. Analysts say the move reflects widening regional blocs and tensions over Yemen, with Mogadishu seeking support from Turkey and Saudi Arabia, though the central government lacks full authority over Somaliland and other semi‑autonomous regions.
A leaked October 2023 UAE document shows plans to use UAE military bases in the southern Red Sea (Yemen, Eritrea, Somalia) to support Israel in its war against Hamas, including military, logistics and intelligence aid, with meetings to coordinate with Yemen’s NRF and to transfer weapons; the leaks also flag substantial Qatari support to Hamas and describe increased UAE expenditures and commitments to back Israel until Hamas is defeated.
A BBC investigation shows Yemenis lured to Russia with promises of money, fast-tracked citizenship, and safety end up fighting in Ukraine. The stories of Khalil and Hussein illustrate a recruitment pipeline that exploits poverty, misleads families with false deaths, and traps men in contracts that extend beyond their control as Russia widens its foreign-fighter program. Dozens of Yemenis have been killed or imprisoned, while many families struggle to locate loved ones, face ongoing uncertainty, and cope with the collapse of Yemen and the fighters’ shattered futures.
A delegation from Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council announced the group’s dissolution in Riyadh, but members abroad rejected the move, signaling that the disbandment may not be voluntary and highlighting ongoing internal rifts amid UAE backing for a potential independent South Arabia.
Yemen's main separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council, appears to be splitting amid a Gulf rivalry, with its leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi fleeing Yemen and conflicting statements about the group's disbandment, reflecting tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.