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Yemen

January 9, 2026

Sanaa 8:55 pm

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

Analysis

US response muted as Gulf allies clash in Yemen

With Washington’s focus elsewhere, a Saudi-Emirati proxy fight is igniting a new phase in Yemen’s war.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

SALEH AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images

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

Zubaidi’s Southern Transitional Council has experienced massive losses at the hands of the Yemeni government as Saudi Arabia ups its military campaign against the UAE-backed group.

Fighters loyal to Yemen's Southern Transitional Council separatists stand in the back of a pickup struck, bearing the portrait of STC Chief Aidarus al-Zubaidi

Yemen separatists accuse Saudi Arabia of 'betrayal' as pro-Riyadh forces advance

Southern Transitional Council head Aidarus al-Zubaidi did not board a scheduled flight to Saudi Arabia for talks as Riyadh intensified its airstrikes against the group.

Latest News

Analysis

From Red Sea to Horn of Africa: How Yemen exposed the Saudi-UAE divide

HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, in Riyadh, on Sept. 3, 2025.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Yemen’s STC announces self-determination process for south: What to know

Yemeni members of the Sabahiha tribes of Lahj, who live along the strip between the south and north of the country and who support the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), hold an image of the STC leader Aidaros Alzubidi.

Saudi Arabia launches Hadramout offensive as Gulf rivalry haunts Yemen

A convoy of armoured vehicles makes its way along a street in southern Yemen on January 1

Jennifer Gnana

Gulf Correspondent

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

A boy looks on as supporters of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a coalition of separatist groups seeking to restore the state of South Yemen, hold South Yemen flags during a rally calling for the revival of the former independent state, in Aden on December 12, 2025. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council last week swept through swathes of Yemen in a near-bloodless takeover they say aimed to expel Islamists and halt smuggling for the benefit of the Iran-backed Houthis. (Photo by Saleh Al-OBEID

As UAE-Saudi rivalry heats up, Yemen’s STC accuses Riyadh of airstrikes

Saudi Arabia has criticized the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council’s military offensive, which has sent shockwaves through the country and the Gulf.

Saleh Al-OBEIDI / AFP via Getty Images

Yemeni ministries declare support for STC campaign as Gulf tensions flare

Yemen's Saudi-backed government criticized the statements in support of the Southern Transitional Council, which is supported by the UAE, as Gulf states deliberate on how to move forward.

A ship sails along Egypt's Suez Canal near Ismailia, April 16, 2025.

Maersk resumes Red Sea passage after two-year halt amid easing Houthi threat

A ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October has prompted some shipping companies to consider resuming services, but security concerns persist.

Yemeni employees walk at the Aden oil refinery company in Yemen's port city of Aden on Sept. 29, 2015.

Analysis

Yemen’s oil heartland fuels new conflict as STC seeks new political power

By targeting Yemen’s oil-rich regions, the Southern Transitional Council has positioned itself to alter power balances nationally and strengthen its bid for an independent state in the south.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Fighters affiliated with Yemen's separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) man a position as they deploy amid tensions in the southern port city of Aden, on February 3, 2022, after Washington announced sending a warship and fighter jets to help defend its Gulf allies as conflict with Yemeni rebels intensifies. (Photo by Saleh Al-OBEIDI / AFP) (Photo by SALEH AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images)

Yemen's STC separatists advance in Hadramout as UAE-Saudi rift grows

The fighting between the UAE-backed southern separatists and Saudi-aligned tribal forces, nominal allies against the Houthis, has raised concerns about the division of Yemen.

An undated image of the Houthis’ military chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Muhammad Abd Al-Karim al-Ghamari.

Israel claims responsibility for killing Houthi military chief in strike: What to know

Following the announcement of Ghamari’s death, the Houthis appointed Maj. Gen. Yusuf Hassan al-Madani as his successor.

Images of a fireball exploding on a cargo ship are shown on a giant screen during a protest called for by Yemen's rebel Houthi movement in Sanaa on March 17, 2025.

Dutch-flagged cargo ship struck off Yemen in latest attack

If claimed by the Houthis, the strike on the Minervagracht would mark their most successful attack on a civilian cargo vessel since July.

BORIS HORVAT/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East internet slows after Red Sea cables cut: What to know

Yemen's internationally recognized government accused the Houthi rebels of planning to attack underwater cables in the Red Sea in February 2024.

MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Inside Israel's Yemen operation that decapitated Houthi leadership

Since Israel's intelligence began focusing on the Houthi threat in July, efforts to quell the threat from Yemen have grown much more precise.

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