Yemen war

This handout photo made available by the Iranian Army Office on April 17, 2025 shows Iran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major-General Mohammed Bagheri (L) receiving Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman (C) in Tehran on April 17, 2025.

Saudi defense chief meets Khamenei in historic Iran visit: What to know

Prince Khalid’s visit marks a further step in Iran and Saudi Arabia’s political reconciliation, but it comes at a tense time in the region, with the second round of US-Iran nuclear negotiations just two days away.

US Army Specialist Brandon Sapikowski checks a Patriot Missile Launch Station, on Feb. 4, 2003, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.

US approves $400M deal to upgrade Kuwait’s Patriot air defenses

The planned recertification marks Washington’s latest show of military support for Gulf Arab states, as the US prepares for a potential confrontation with Iran over its nuclear enrichment program.

Gen. Michael Langley, commander of US Africa Command, testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

Top US general calls out Houthi-Shabaab ties across Yemen-Somalia strait

The Pentagon has opened the aperture on al-Shabaab in recent months, allowing AFRICOM to ramp up strikes on the al-Qaeda offshoot in the Horn of Africa.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

A February 6, 2025 photo shows the US Treasury in Washington, DC. Opponents to US President Donald Trump say he allowed Elon Musk -- the world's richest man and a major government contractor -- to break the law by accessing US Treasury payment systems that send out trillions of dollars and hold a welter of sensitive personal data. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

US sanctions Russia-based network for aiding Houthis as strikes continue

The sanctions target several individuals based in Russia accused of assisting Houthi official Sa’id al-Jamal, who has been under US sanctions since 2021.

Latest News

What the Signal chat leak reveals about Trump’s Middle East policy

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth participates in a TV interview outside of the White House on March 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Hegseth visited the White House to join U.S. President Donald Trump in announcing the Next Generation of Air Dominance (NGDA) program, the F-47, the sixth-generation high-tech Air Force fighter to succeed the F-22 Raptor. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

US looks to bolster Middle East defenses as strikes against Houthis ramp up

An F18 Hornet fighter jet lands on the 330 meters navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on May 8, 2018.

Analysis

Can US halt Houthi attacks without getting embroiled in Gaza, Yemen wars?

Men check the damages in an area struck by a US airstrike in Huthi-controlled Sanaa on March 20, 2025. Israel said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen on March 20, as the Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed to have targeted Ben Gurion international airport. The United States, Israel's main backer, has pledged to hit Yemen with lethal and overwhelming force until the Huthis stop their harassment campaign. (Photo by MOHAMMED HUWAIS / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Analysis

Wary of Houthis, Gulf states fear blowback of US escalation in Yemen

This handout screen grab captured from a video shows Houthi fighters' takeover of the Galaxy Leader Cargo on the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah, Yemen, Nov. 20, 2023.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

A file image grab taken from a video handed out by Yemen's Houthi rebels on March 27, 2018.

Breaking | Last Updated: December 18, 2023, 10:22 pm

US announces new naval task force as Houthis threaten Red Sea shipping

The United States is rallying its allies in a bid to deter Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, but it wasn't immediately clear what action they'd take to deter the ongoing flurry of attacks.

Getty Images

BP, Equinor change oil shipment plans after Red Sea Houthi attacks

The Iran-backed rebels have said the attacks are in retaliation for the war in Gaza.

A picture taken during an organized tour by Yemen's Houthi rebels (onboard) on Nov. 22, 2023.

Spread thin, US Navy seeks allies' help following Houthi attacks on shipping

With Israel's war in Gaza poised to drag on, Washington is turning to allies to help relieve the burden on the US Navy in pushing back on Iran-backed attacks against commercial shipping in Gulf waterways.

Houthi Movement via Getty Images

How risky is US-Houthi escalation after Navy thwarts tanker hijacking?

The Iran-backed rebels are risking new levels of escalation as they jockey for clout in talks with Saudi Arabia as Israel's war in the Gaza Strip grinds on.

Yemen Houthi

Analysis

Yemen’s peace process imperiled as Houthis target Israel

Experts say the attacks are designed to increase the Houthis’ standing domestically, and to potentially increase their leverage in talks with Saudi Arabia.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

A screenshot from a video released by Yemen's Houthi rebels showing the seizure of the ship.

How Houthis' hijacking of Israel-linked ship tests limits of US deterrence

The US is consulting with allies after Iran-backed Yemeni fighters fast-roped onto the deck and hijacked an Israeli-linked cargo ship amid Israel's war against Palestinian militants in Gaza.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin welcomes Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman to the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on November 1, 2023. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi defense chief concludes US trip, seeks security assurances as Gaza rages

Prince Khalid bin Salman’s preplanned trip included meetings with top US officials. Saudi Arabia is concerned that the war between Israel and Hamas could hurt its interests.

MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

Blasts in Egypt near Israeli border as Gaza war rages on

The Israeli military blamed two explosions in Egypt, resulted in injuries, on an “aerial threat” from the Red Sea, a possible reference to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, but some details are unclear.

TOW missile

US sells Oman $70 million worth of TOW antitank missiles

The Biden administration advanced the sale proposal even as Yemen's Houthis have engaged in peace talks in Saudi Arabia last month.

Al-Ittihad's supporters wave a flag.

Saudi-Iran soccer match canceled over Qasem Soleimani statue row

Iran and Saudi Arabia resumed diplomatic relations in March. Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike in 2020, is a polarizing figure in the region.

Members of the Bahraini armed forces carry the coffins of comrades who were killed the previous day during their battle against the Huthi rebels in Yemen, on September 5, 2015 during an official repatriation ceremony at Isa Air Base in Sakhir, South of Manama. Bahrain announced that five of its soldiers were killed in southern Saudi Arabia where they had been posted to help defend the border with neighbouring war-wracked Yemen. AFP PHOTO / MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH/AFP

Houthi attack on Bahrain's soldiers tests Yemen's fragile cease-fire, US defense pact

An alleged Houthi drone strike that killed three Bahraini soldiers in Saudi Arabia this week has underscored the limits of Washington's commitment to Gulf states' defense.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends breakfast with the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on September 18, 2023 in New York.

Blinken defends Iran prisoner swap at meeting with Gulf counterparts

The US secretary of state also touted the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, seen as competition to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, ahead of the discussion with Gulf Cooperation Council member states.