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

Yemen cover image

Yemen

February 5, 2026

Sanaa 8:10 am

14°C

Riyadh

Analysis

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

The Turkish president’s visit cemented Ankara and Riyadh’s accelerating convergence as regional crises mount and Gulf rivalries sharpen.

Ezgi Akin

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

Galaxy Leader

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

The Houthi warnings come as a US aircraft carrier accompanied by several guided missile destroyers entered Gulf waters amid tensions with Iran.

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.

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

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

Egypt lost some $13 billion worth of Suez Canal fees over two years due to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, according to estimates from Egyptian officials.

Latest News

From Egypt to Lebanon: What’s at stake for regional states on Trump’s visa ban list?

From Iraq to Yemen, how Iran proxies are responding to protests

Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026.

Analysis

US response muted as Gulf allies clash in Yemen

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

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

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

SALEH AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images

A man pays using Iranian rials at a shop, in Tehran on July 31, 2019. - The government in sanctions-hit Iran on Wednesday approved a plan to remove zeros from the rial and rename the currency -- something its people have long been doing to simplify transactions. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

With rial in free fall, Trump’s warning to Iran over Houthis poses strategic dilemma

Iran is once again facing the difficult prospect of distancing itself from another regional proxy ally after the US president's warning suggested possible direct US attacks on the Islamic Republic.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Yemenis in Sanaa watch a televised statement by the Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announcing the rebel group launched an attack on a US aircraft carrier in the Red Sea on March 16, 2025.

Pentagon lays out goals for Yemen strikes after Trump warns Iran not to intervene

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stressed that the US has a "moral obligation to have a clear-cut end-state" for combat operations abroad, as well as "a clear exit strategy," but also said the US strikes would not stop until the Houthis halt their own attacks.

In this handout image provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, a Royal Air Force Typhoon FRG4s is being prepared to conduct further strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen at RAF Akrotiri on Feb. 3, 2024 in Akrotiri, Cyprus.

US strikes on Yemen's Houthis, China stimulus drive surge in oil prices

Brent crude was up 1.3% to $71.53 a barrel on Monday morning compared to close on Sunday.

Yemenis brandish rifles and chant during a demonstration called for by the rebel Huthi movement in Sanaa on March 17, 2025. Huge crowds joined protests in rebel-controlled Yemen on March 17 after deadly US strikes killed dozens and sparked fears of a new cycle of violence in the conflict-torn country. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

US airstrikes against Yemen's Houthis: Game-changer or more of the same?

Experts warn an expanded US strike campaign in Yemen is unlikely to deter the Houthis.

Jared Szuba

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

A picture shows a military drone on display at an exhibition held by Yemen's Huthi group in the capital Sanaa on Nov. 19, 2024.

Houthis using Chinese-made hydrogen fuel cells to build stealthier drones: Report

A new report reveals that the Houthis are incorporating Chinese-made hydrogen fuel cells into their drones, potentially improving their range and reducing detection by air defenses.

US President Donald Trump shows an executive order withdrawing his country from a number of United Nations bodies in the Oval Office of the White House on February 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order withdrawing his country from a number of United Nations bodies, including its Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and setting up a broader review of US funding for the multilateral organization. The executive order said it withdrew Washington from UNHRC and the main UN relief agency

US formally rebrands Yemen's Houthis as foreign terrorist organization

Critics say the Houthis' blacklisting will hamper aid delivery in the war-torn country.

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

Analysis

How will Trump's terrorist designation of Houthis impact Red Sea attacks?

Oil trade via the Houthi-controlled Bab el-Mandeb strait decreased by 50% after the Yemeni rebels launched maritime attacks, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump moves to list Yemen's Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization

Armed Yemeni tribesmen join Houthi fighters riding military vehicles during an anti-US and Israel rally on the outskirts of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on Jan. 16, 2025.

Senate Republicans sponsor bill to redesignate Yemen's Houthis as terror outfit

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair says a stronger stance on Yemen's Houthi rebels will be part of Trump's renewed maximum pressure campaign against Iran.

Thick smoke billows from a raging fire at oil storage tanks a day after Israeli strikes on the port of Yemen's Huthi-held city of Hodeida on July 21, 2024. Yemen's Huthi rebels on July 21 promised a "huge" retaliation against Israel following a deadly strike on the port of Hodeida, as regional fallout widens from months of war in Gaza. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How Israel’s Yemen strikes could be prelude to target Iran nuclear sites

Israel is debating whether to seize the detected window of opportunity and target not only the Houthis in Yemen but also Iran’s entire nuclear program.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Men carry a mock missile during a rally by university students and faculty denouncing strikes on Yemen and in solidarity with Palestinians.

Israel launches new airstrikes in Yemen, hits Sanaa airport for first time

Israel conducted massive airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, including on Sanaa's international airport and the seaport of Hodeidah.

A banner depicting Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stands next to a ballistic missile in Baharestan Square, Tehran, Sept. 26, 2024.

Analysis

Were Israel's Yemen strikes trial run for major attack on Iran?

Some analysts consider the large-scale attack on Yemeni sites a test run for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, but others now view destabilizing the mullahs as the best approach.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense