Yemen - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Yemen cover image

Yemen

June 22, 2026

Sanaa 9:48 am

25°C

People ride motorcycles past a large billboard showing portraits of Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L), and slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) in central Tehran on June 8, 2026.

Analysis

From Beirut to Bab el Mandeb, Iran tests new deterrence strategy

Tehran views its latest clash with Israel as a watershed moment and proof that any attack on its regional allies can trigger direct and immediate retaliation.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

Saudis shop for fresh products at a market in Riyadh on Feb. 18, 2026, on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Saudi Arabia.

Analysis

Alternative supply routes emerge as Iran war tests Gulf food security

Roughly 61 million people in the Gulf rely on established food supply chains, many of which have been upended since the United States and Israel launched their attack against Iran on Feb. 28.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Latest News

Analysis

In Saudi Arabia, Erdogan fosters security alignment, $30B trade push

Riyadh

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Yemen’s Houthis hint at Red Sea attacks as US-Iran tensions rise: What to know

Galaxy Leader

Thousands rally for South Yemen independence amid Saudi diplomatic push

AFP via Getty Images

Egypt's economy can weather more Red Sea attacks, says finance minister

Ships sail along Egypt's Suez Canal near Ismailia on April 16, 2025.

An RAF Typhoon aircraft takes off to join the US-led coalition from RAF Akrotiri to conduct air strikes against military targets in Yemen on Jan. 12, 2024.

US, UK carry out strikes against Yemen's Houthis following Red Sea attacks

The allied forces struck radar sites and weapons storage facilities with bombs after Houthis spurned a warning by the United States and a dozen others to halt their attacks on Red Sea commercial shipping.

SUEZ, EGYPT - JANUARY 10: A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on January 10, 2024 in Suez, Egypt. on January 10, 2024 in Suez, Egypt. In the wake of Israel's war on Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Houthi rebels in Yemen pledged disruption on all ships destined for Israel through the Red Sea's Suez Canal. The disruption on world trade is evident in the number of companies using this container ship route - a 90 per cent decline compared to figures one year ago. (Photo by Sayed

Breaking | Last Updated: January 11, 2024, 6:41 pm

US, UK mull strikes against Iran-backed Houthis following Red Sea attacks

British media reported that Downing Street called for an emergency cabinet meeting tonight to approve UK military action against the Houthis.

Chinese ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on Gaza, at UN headquarters in New York City on December 8, 2023.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 10, 2024, 7:10 pm

China, Russia abstain as UN Security Council adopts resolution condemning Houthi attacks

Attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels have caused major disruptions to shipping in the Red Sea.

TOPSHOT - Members of the Yemeni Coast Guard affiliated with the Houthi group patrol the sea as demonstrators march through the Red Sea port city of Hodeida in solidarity with the people of Gaza on January 4, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the militant Hamas group in Gaza. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Amid warnings to Houthis, US military downs another drone over Red Sea

Agence France-Presse

The Container ship Maersk Bratan" is discharged at the terminals of HHLA (Hamburg Port Logistics Inc) in Hamburg on June 22, 2022.

Explainer: Major shipping giants resume Red Sea routes amid Houthi attacks

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have fired on international ships and Israel’s port in the Red Sea since the Gaza war began, wreaking havoc on the global shipping industry.

A Maersk container ship sails through the new section of the Suez Canal.

Houthi attacks: Hundreds of ships to reroute from Red Sea, 44% cost spike for China

The Red Sea is one of the world’s most important shipping routes for oil, fuel and consumer goods, and shipments between Asia and Europe typically go through the sea and the Suez Canal.

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.

INTERNATIONAL WATERS RED SEA, YEMEN - NOVEMBER 20: This handout screen grab captured from a video shows Yemen's Houthi fighters' takeover of the Galaxy Leader Cargo in the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah, on November 20, 2023 in the Red Sea, Yemen. On Monday, the Houthi movement in Yemen released footage and photos of the Houthi-run coastguard taking over the Israeli-linked Galaxy Leader Vessel in the Red Sea, which had 52 people onboard. Galaxy Leader is owned by Galaxy Maritime Ltd in the Isle of Man and is li

US threatens response after Houthi missiles hit cargo ships in Red Sea

Iran-backed factions across the Middle East opened a new volley of attacks targeting Israeli-linked cargo vessels in the Red Sea and US troops in Iraq and Syria since Israel's truce with Hamas collapsed on Friday.

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

Forces loyal to Yemen's Huthi rebels hold up Palestinian flags as they march in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians on October 15, 2023, in Sanaa. (Photo by MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Will Yemen's Houthis move on Marib oil fields as Gaza war diverts world's attention?

Kate Dourian

In Dubai, reporting on energy

US navy destroyer

US Navy intercepts drone fired from Yemen amid Gaza war

The Biden administration's restrained approach to deterrence hasn't fully halted attacks by Iran-backed militias across the Middle East in response to Israel's war in Gaza.

An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) flies by at Creech Air Force Base, Indian Springs, Nevada, Nov. 17, 2015.

Internet collapses in Yemen amid uptick in Houthi attacks on Israel

The internet outage coincides with increasing attacks by Iranian proxies against Israel and US positions in the region amid the Hamas-Israel war.