You're reading an excerpt from the latest edition of Security Briefing, Al-Monitor's weekly newsletter that breaks down the latest in Middle East defense and conflict news. To read the full edition, sign up here.
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.