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.
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Too close for comfort. Three Bahraini soldiers were killed and a number of others wounded in what Manama said was a Houthi drone attack near Saudi Arabia’s border with Yemen on Monday.
It’s the first lethal cross-border strike publicly attributed to the Yemeni rebels in many months, threatening to disrupt a nationwide cease-fire that has largely held for more than a year despite having formally expired in October 2022.
It’s also the first time Bahrain has lost forces to the Iran-backed Houthis since the 2015 Houthi missile strike in Marib. It’s too soon to say whether the incident marks the start of a trend, but officials in Washington say they are concerned about the potential for escalation.
