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

Yemen cover image

Yemen

May 3, 2026

Sanaa 10:48 pm

22°C

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

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.

Latest News

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.

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.

Yemen Houthi

US sanctions smuggling network backing Yemen's Houthis

The latest Houthi-related sanctions come as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia push the Biden administration to designate the Iran-supported group as a terrorist organization.

KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

US F-22 squadron arrives to help UAE ward off Houthi attacks

France is also lending military support while it remains unclear how proactively US fighter pilots will allowed to engage Houthi targets.

Navy Persian Gulf

US to deploy fighter jets, Navy destroyer to UAE after missile attacks

Houthi barrages on the UAE are stress-testing Biden’s commitment to end US involvement in Yemen’s civil war.

Yemeni pro-government fighters surround ordnances removed from the district of Harib on Jan. 25, 2022.

Yemeni government forces make new gains in Marib

UAE-backed forces are making sweeping gains against the Houthis despite the rebels' threats against Abu Dhabi.

MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images

UAE intercepts Houthi ballistic missiles in latest attack

The second Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi in just a week marks a new escalation in Yemen's civil war.

SALEH AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi-led airstrikes kill more than 70 in Yemen, rescue workers say

Women and children died in a series of coalition airstrikes on Friday that targeted a migrant holding center in Sadaa and a telecom hub in Hodeidah, aid agencies said.

Those displaced by conflict receive food aid in the Tuhayta district of Yemen's war-ravaged Hodeidah province, on June 30, 2021.

Aid agencies sound alarm as US considers relisting Houthis as terror group

The US State Department says it would have to "fully consider the humanitarian implications" of the Houthis' redesignation as a terrorist group.

Tom Dulat/Getty Images

UAE seeks Pentagon’s support following drone attack on Abu Dhabi

The UAE has asked the Biden administration to reinstate a prior terrorist designation for Yemen's Houthi rebels.

ANDREW HARNIK/AFP via Getty Images

Biden's Yemen envoy to visit Gulf after Houthi-claimed UAE attack

In the wake of aerial attacks on United Arab Emirates claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the US special envoy for Yemen will travel to the Gulf this week.

Yemen fighting

Fighting in Yemen's Marib intensifies amid government advances

Yemen’s bloody war is ramping up once again as the UN warns of dire consequences for civilians.

Yemeni government forces in Shabwa province

Yemeni government retakes Shabwa province from Houthis

The advance could relieve pressure on embattled Marib if pro-government forces can hold their ground.

JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty Images

Yemen's Houthis accuse Saudi-led coalition of diverting fuel ship

Earlier this week, the Houthis seized an Emirati-flagged vessel that it claimed was a military cargo ship, but which the Saudi-led coalition said was delivering medical supplies.