Yemen war

Members of Houthi security forces stand guard while supporters of Yemen's Houthi movement attend an event commemorating the ninth anniversary of the Saudi-led intervention in their country, in the capital, Sanaa, on March 26, 2026.

Exclusive

Senior Houthi official says Bab el Mandab closure an option if any Gulf states join war

Houthi Deputy Information Minister Mohammed Mansour also said the strait could be closed “should the aggression against Iran and Lebanon escalate.”

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Diplomatic advisor to the United Arab Emirates President Anwar Gargash (C) react on stage with Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe (R) during the World Governments Summit in Dubai on February 3, 2026. Spain will seek to ban social media for under-16s to protect them from harmful content such as pornography and violence, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on February 3, in the latest such move by governments. Australia established a world first i

On eve of talks, UAE's Gargash throws weight behind Iran-US deal

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, spoke at a panel discussion at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, where he discussed the latest developments in Gaza, Iran, Sudan and Yemen.

United Arab Emirates

AFP via Getty Images

Thousands rally for South Yemen independence amid Saudi diplomatic push

Large protests called for southern independence in Yemen on Friday, reflecting persistent support for the separatists despite the Saudi-backed government’s efforts to quash the separatist movement.

A convoy of armored vehicles makes its way along a street in the port city Mukalla, southern Yemen, on Jan. 1, 2026.

Analysis

US response muted as Gulf allies clash in Yemen

With Washington’s focus elsewhere, a Saudi-Emirati proxy fight is igniting a new phase in Yemen’s war.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Latest News

Meet Aidarus Zubaidi: Separatist leader at heart of Yemen’s power struggle

SALEH AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images

Yemen separatists accuse Saudi Arabia of 'betrayal' as pro-Riyadh forces advance

Fighters loyal to Yemen's Southern Transitional Council separatists stand in the back of a pickup struck, bearing the portrait of STC Chief Aidarus al-Zubaidi

In first, Israel's foreign minister visits Somaliland: What to know

somaliland

Yemen’s STC announces self-determination process for south: What to know

Yemeni members of the Sabahiha tribes of Lahj, who live along the strip between the south and north of the country and who support the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), hold an image of the STC leader Aidaros Alzubidi.

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.

Culture

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.

refugee camp

UN mulls green Islamic bonds to fund climate change refugee projects

The United Nations is reportedly interested in issuing Islamic bonds to help those displaced by climate change.

A boy waves an Iranian national flag as supporters of Iran's newly-elected president Ebrahim Raisi celebrate his victory in Imam Hussein square in the capital Tehran on June 19, 2021.

Can US-Iran prisoner deal build trust for broader talks?

Experts say the release of five Americans held in Iran could lay the groundwork for a resumption of nuclear talks between the longtime adversaries.

Huthi forces take part in funeral ceremony for Yahya Al-Shami, assistant supreme commander of the Houthi forces, a day after his death due to Covid-19 pandemic, in Yemen's capital Sanaa on April 27, 2021.

US urges Houthis to negotiate with Yemen’s government

US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking called on the Iran-backed rebels to "seize this unprecedented opportunity" to sit down with the Yemeni government.

Yemeni refugees cross the border from Yemen into the southern Saudi province of Jizan on Nov. 8, 2009.

Saudi forces have killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants at Yemen border: report

Saudi Arabia's border security forces are accused of "widespread and systematic" killing of Ethiopian migrants crossing from Yemen in what Human Rights Watch says could constitute crimes against humanity.

A man snaps a picture of the beleaguered Yemen-flagged FSO Safer oil tanker in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen's contested western province of Hodeida on July 15, 2023.

After saving Yemen from oil tanker spill, can diplomacy end its war?

Work begins to transfer oil off the decrepit FSO Safer, but US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking says further progress toward peace will require Yemenis talking to one another.