Yemen faces renewed war risk as Saudi Arabia and Houthis exchange airstrikes

Key facts

• Yemen faces renewed conflict risk as Saudi Arabia and Houthis exchange airstrikes, testing a fragile truce.
• The Houthis fired missiles at Saudi Arabia after accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under their control.
• The Houthis are a military, political, and religious movement adhering to the Zaydi sect of Shi'ite Islam.
• The Houthis captured the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014, leading to Saudi Arabia's intervention in 2015.
• The Houthis have disrupted international commerce by firing on international shipping in the Red Sea.
• The U.S. states Iran has armed, funded, and trained the Houthis with help from Hezbollah.

Yemen faces renewed conflict risk as Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement exchange airstrikes, testing a fragile four-year truce. The Houthis fired missiles at Saudi Arabia after accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under their control, signaling an end to a period of de-escalation.

The Houthis, a Zaydi Shi'ite movement based in northern Yemen, expanded their power and built closer ties with Iran after 2011, capturing the capital Sanaa in 2014. Saudi Arabia led a coalition intervention the following year. The Houthis have demonstrated significant missile and drone capabilities, attacking infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and disrupting international shipping in the Red Sea since October 2023.

While the Saudi-led coalition accuses Iran of arming and training the Houthis, both Iran and the Houthis deny this, with the movement stating it develops its own weapons. Experts suggest the Houthis are primarily motivated by a domestic agenda, though they share a political affinity with Iran and Hezbollah. The escalation raises concerns that Iran could use its Houthi allies to disrupt the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea, a critical global shipping choke point.