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Tag: Yemen

  • ‘You feel helpless’: A Mideast health system buckles after U.S. cuts

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    AL KAWD, Yemen  — In the cramped examination room of this tiny village clinic, Rania Moussa lay on her side and covered her eyes with a pillow, her slight, childlike-frame belying the fact she is 13 years old. It had been days since she had taken an injection of the powerful antibiotics she needs to manage her condition, a type of anemia.

    But the clinic, which used to give them for free, now had none to offer; and aid cuts since the U.S. froze assistance last year meant it was unlikely to get them anytime soon. Without the medication, Rania’s mother said, her daughter couldn’t do anything.

    “She can’t walk; she can barely move. I had to carry her here. We could get the shots before, but now none of the clinics have them, so I have to buy them from pharmacies,” said Jamilah Omar, Rania’s mother. “We can barely afford food, let alone medications.”

    Somehow, Omar scraped together money for the antibiotics, which the clinic staff administered.

    In the year since the evisceration of U.S. Agency for International Development at the hands of Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, discussions on its shuttering can devolve into political point-scoring, with advocates and opponents of the Trump administration shouting over each other about the savings made or lack thereof.

    Remnants of signage for the U.S. Agency for International Development on the facade of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 29, 2025.

    (Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)

    But it’s here, in places like the dust-swept grouping of cinder-block houses and dilapidated buildings that make up Al Kawd, where the real-world impact of those cuts can be most clearly felt.

    “You feel helpless,” said Areeda Fadhli, the 53-year-old medical assistant managing the clinic, as she shifted the pillow away to look at Rania’s face.

    “Imagine your son, your daughter, fading in front of you,” she said. “How do you think that feels?”

    Fadhli pointed to some boxes of basic medical supplies squirreled away in a corner.

    “It’s the last shipment and it came more than nine months ago,” she said. “We’re trying to stretch them as much as possible.”

    The contractions in Yemen reflect a wider ravaging of foreign assistance worldwide. In 2025, the U.S. pledged $3.4 billion in global aid, a fraction of the $14.1 billion funded under President Biden. That includes funds from USAID and other U.S. entities.

    And that amount is getting only smaller: Late last year, the Trump administration announced in 2026 it would provide $2 billion to U.N. programs in 17 countries, while pointedly excluding Afghanistan and Yemen.

    Two people in green shirts hold a child's head.

    Rabii Nasr, a nurse, cleans a child’s wound at a hospital in Yemen’s Abyan province. Her injury did not require stitches, which was fortunate because the hospital had run out of stitches and surgical thread.

    (Nabih Bulos/Los Angeles Times)

    Other wealthy nations are following suit, with Germany more than halving its humanitarian budget for 2026 compared with last year. France is planning to reduce development assistance by nearly 40%, and the U.K. is shrinking aid expenditures from 0.5% to 0.3% of its gross national income by 2027.

    The Trump administration offered different justifications for cutting foreign assistance. President Trump alleged there were “billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse” while DOGE officials boasted about the cost savings. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said USAID did not serve, and in some cases harmed, the “core national interests of the United States.”

    Administration officials brought no evidence of corruption and cited examples of waste that proved to be inaccurate, such as Trump’s assertion that $100 million was spent on condoms to the militant group Hamas in Gaza.

    In any case, observers say the funds earmarked for foreign development assistance in the Biden era amounted to less than 1% of the federal budget.

    Last year, the U.S. slashed funding for Yemen from USAID and other sources from $768 million — amounting to half of the country’s humanitarian response budget in 2024 — to $42.5 million. The result, the U.N. says, is that 453 health facilities have faced partial or imminent closure across the country, including hospitals, primary health centers and mobile clinics.

    The Lancet, the esteemed British medical journal, published a study in July that estimated the cuts to USAID could result in 14 million otherwise preventable deaths worldwide by 2030. The estimates were based in part on the lifesaving effects of USAID’s past work on food security, HIV treatment, medical care and other services.

    The cuts already deeply hit Yemen, a country that is no stranger to tragedy. A calamitous civil war — which began in 2014 when Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital and spurred a furious assault from a Saudi-led coalition — made Yemen in years past the site of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes.

    Though Yemen has since been surpassed in devastation by other conflict spots, 19.5 million people — slightly less than half of the population — needed humanitarian assistance in 2025, with the majority of them food insecure, the U.N. says.

    This year, with political upheaval persisting throughout the country, the expectation is that number will increase to 21 million; it’s a situation made more difficult by the Trump administration’s 2025 designation of the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization.

    A soldier walks by a low wall with the words "American Embassy" on it.

    A soldier walks by the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, on Wednesday.

    (Osamah Abdulrahman / Associated Press)

    The designation, humanitarians say, in effect outlaws aid deliveries to areas under Houthi control, where 70% of the population resides. At the same time, the Houthis have detained 73 U.N. staff members and confiscated vehicles and telecommunications equipment, leaving the U.N. unable to operate.

    “You have the perturbations of the conflict and increased humanitarian needs at the same time as a challenging funding environment constrained the delivery environment,” said Julien Harneis, the U.N.’s resident coordinator in Yemen. “So all the conditions are coming together for a very difficult year.”

    For aid organizations in Yemen that relied on U.S. largesse, the aim has shifted to preserving whatever remains of their operations.

    An aid worker who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of jeopardizing remaining assistance flows said the organization he worked for had shut down one of its two offices, fired 250 out of 300 employees and suspended support to dozens of health centers. The organization’s portfolio had shrunk from roughly $32 million to $2 million.

    “Yes, we have other donors from Europe and Canada, but it doesn’t equal even 5% of what the Americans would give,” he said.

    Some organizations have tried tailoring proposals to fit Washington’s regional priorities, including countering Iran and Al Qaeda, or by excluding terms that under the Trump administration have in effect become verboten.

    “Anything focusing on gender, feminism, or LGBT protection: A statement with any of those concepts wouldn’t get sign-off,” he said.

    To get a sense of what a difference a year makes, last January, before the aid cuts, Fadhli was about to extend the operations of the Al Kawd clinic from 12-hour shifts to 24.

    Three doctors — an OB-GYN specialist and two general practitioners — already made the daily 52-mile journey from Aden, the main city in Yemen’s south, to Al Kawd to treat about 300 patients every day. Medical assistants, chosen from local village women, received $100 a month and training sessions to work in the clinic and help serve the community’s needs.

    The clinic had enough basic medications for three months, and there was funding to procure specialized medicine for patients with complicated illnesses.

    “People come here because they have no money, but before we could offer them solutions to their problems,” said Dr. Umayma Jamil, the 37-year-old OB-GYN specialist who is the last remaining physician in the clinic. She comes only once a week, paid for by whatever funds the clinic can cobble together.

    Now, Jamil said, she will give a diagnosis, prescribe medicine and then see the patient return with the same complaint.

    “I ask them, ’Did you get medicine?’ And they say they can’t because there’s no money,” Jamil said.

    “It’s natural to be frustrated, but I don’t know what to do. It’s not in my hands.”

    The effects of such a drastic scaling down of aid aren’t restricted to smaller facilities; they extend even to major medical institutions such as Al-Razi, the main hospital in Abyan province, serving more than 30,000 people every year.

    Children are dying, and more children will die later this year

    — Julien Harneis, U.N. resident coordinator in Yemen

    Dr. Muhsen Abdullah, the surgeon who heads the emergency room, spoke with a weary tone of a ward without surgical thread or stitches, and anesthesiologists forced to ask patients to purchase their own anesthetic.

    “Surgical perishables, antibiotics, even iodine and rubbing alcohol — all this the patient has to buy from the outside before they come in for surgery. It’s ridiculous,” he said, adding that some patients postponed procedures because they couldn’t afford postoperative treatment.

    Around him were additional signs of disrepair: an X-ray examination board without a functioning backlight, and a dust-covered ultraviolet sterilization machine that hadn’t worked in months.

    With humanitarian groups operating under extremely tight budgets, there’s little they can do when epidemics hit — assuming they can detect them in the first place, because much of that information relied on health centers reporting outbreaks.

    “Now we have no reports. Zero,” the aid worker said. For example, he said, cholera cases in Yemen would appear to be fewer than last year, although suspected numbers are far larger.

    “How can they tell you anyway? There are no kits to test.”

    In Al Kawd, Fadhli and Jamil have already detected a few cases of cholera in the village. It’s a terrifying prospect, they said, because the disease transmitted by infected water killed a few dozen people — most of them children — last year. But with no money for quarantine or medications, there isn’t much they can do, so they expect the outbreak to get worse.

    That’s in line with predictions from Harneis, the U.N. resident coordinator, who said aid groups in Yemen were anticipating an increase in epidemics “which we won’t be able to control, and an increase in mortality and morbidity, particularly affecting young children.”

    “Children are dying, and more children will die later this year,” he said. And once such outbreaks hit, there’s no guarantee they’ll stay within the confines of Yemen, he added. “Epidemics don’t stop at the border.”

    This month, the U.S. completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, a decision, the group said, that made “both the United States and the world less safe.”

    Many in the aid community acknowledge USAID wasn’t perfect and understand complaints that it could be used to promote ideas the Trump administration denounces as “woke.”

    But they nevertheless lament the rollback of their work. One person likened it to America’s abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan and leaving the field open for the Taliban to destroy all of USAID’s projects.

    “OK, you could say USAID was unsustainable, but there’s an argument to be made you shouldn’t close the tap completely,” said the aid worker, adding his employer has been operating in Yemen since 1994.

    “With this move, you’ve destroyed the work of decades.”

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    Nabih Bulos

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  • Yemeni experts support allegations of secret UAE prisons, despite Emirati denial

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    After STC setbacks in the east, Saudi Arabia corrals southern factions into talks while allegations of secret prisons run by UAE forces in Yemen regain attention.

    For much of the Yemen war, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) appeared aligned under the umbrella of the Saudi-led coalition, united by the declared objective of rolling back Houthi control and restoring Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Yet developments over the past months have brought into sharper relief a growing divergence between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi-one that has reshaped dynamics on the ground in southern Yemen and reopened long-suppressed debates over sovereignty, accountability, and the future balance of power in the country.

    In addition to power shifts, accusations of human rights abuses involving UAE-backed forces have come back into focus, specifically regarding allegations of secret prisons in Yemen.

    The Southern Transitional Council (STC), a UAE-backed actor, has sought to consolidate control over southern governorates and advance a renewed secessionist project. Its recent military setbacks, the Emirati recalibration that followed, Saudi Arabia’s parallel push to convene Yemeni factions in Riyadh, and renewed scrutiny of human rights violations have together marked a turning point in the conflict’s southern theater. At the same time, the Houthis, while not aligned with Riyadh, remain a central factor shaping Saudi calculations following the Gaza war and the collapse of earlier understandings.

    Yemen today is governed not by a single center of power but by overlapping authorities, armed groups, and external sponsors. According to Abdulghani Al-Iryani, a senior researcher at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, this fragmentation is the result of both internal rivalries and deliberate external strategies.
    “The Houthis took over the capital of Yemen, Sana’a, in 2014 and expelled the elected president,” Al-Iryani told The Media Line. “As a result, the government of Saudi Arabia enlisted the help of many countries in the region in a Saudi-led coalition to evict the Houthis from the capital and restore the legitimate government.”

    That objective was never achieved. “When it became clear that there’s no advance towards the objective, the members of the coalition withdrew and only the United Arab Emirates stayed with a sizable contribution of weapons and funds and fighters and soldiers,” Al-Iryani explained.

    Supporters of the UAE-backed separatist group, Southern Transitional Council, rally in Aden, Yemen January 10, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/Fawaz Salman TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

    The UAE’s continued involvement reshaped the south. “The UAE managed to expel the Houthis from the port city of Aden in the south and from most of the south,” he continued. “And the forces that it has funded and supported, several, actually, nearly a dozen armed groups, took over the south.”

    Among those groups, the STC emerged as the dominant political-military actor. “The temporary capital was controlled by an armed group called the Southern Transitional Council, which is backed by the UAE,” Al-Iryani said. “And it seeks secession from Yemen and restoration of the old People’s Democratic Republic of South Yemen,” he added.

    He stressed that the STC’s internal makeup is inherently volatile. “The Southern Transitional Council is a collection of socialist generals and activists from the Yemen Socialist Party,” he said, “and they are allied, they are joined by extreme Salafists,” he added.

    “The combination is very strange, but that is, I think, intended,” he noted. “They believe that their religious duty is to exterminate the Houthis because the Houthis are Shia.”

    In late 2025, STC forces moved eastward toward Hadramawt and Al-Mahrah-an advance widely seen as an attempt to complete control over the territory of pre-1990 South Yemen.

    Tawfik Al-Hamidi, a Yemeni lawyer, human rights activist, and politician working with the SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, told The Media Line that since Dec. 2025, Yemen has witnessed a major shift following the movement of forces affiliated with the STC toward the eastern governorates of Hadramawt and Al-Mahrah.

    “This move appeared aimed at completing control over all territories that previously constituted South Yemen before 1990,” he said, adding that “the advance was reportedly backed by the United Arab Emirates, which has financed and supported STC forces-estimated at over 100,000 personnel-and supplied them with advanced weapons, including armored vehicles.”

    Saudi Arabia reacted forcefully. “Saudi Arabia viewed this step as a direct threat to its national security and strategic depth,” Al-Hamidi said, particularly in light of the Bab al-Mandab strait and statements by senior STC leaders signaling readiness to normalize relations with Israel in the event of southern secession.

    After the STC refused to withdraw, “Saudi Arabia turned to military intervention, following an official mandate from the internationally recognized Yemeni government to protect civilians in Hadramawt,” Al-Hamidi noted.

    Al-Iryani described the outcome starkly: “It was a big defeat. The soldiers that withdrew from the east left all the heavy weaponry behind. And they became disorganized. It was a very hectic withdrawal,” he said.

    Saudi Arabia then moved to contain the crisis politically. “The STC had no choice but to accept the ceasefire and was given instructions to come to Riyadh for south-south talks,” Al-Iryani continued.

    “The delegation of the STC arrived in Riyadh, minus the chairman of the STC, General al-Zoubaidi, who was whisked by the UAE to Abu Dhabi,” he noted. “As it stands now, he is calling for resistance, while his delegation has, under Saudi pressure, dissolved itself,” he added.

    Al-Iryani placed the STC episode within a broader Emirati regional strategy. “The UAE attached itself to the US and to Israel and attempts by all means to make itself useful to these two powers,” he said. “And since the US was worried about the Islamist uprising that started with the Arab Spring, the UAE made it its task to destroy Islamist parties throughout the region,” he added.

    “The UAE chose an extreme strategy of basically planning to exterminate the Muslim Brotherhood but supporting extremist groups in doing so as well,” he noted.

    Proxy war in Yemen

    In Yemen, this translated into proxy warfare. “That is why … instead of forming one strong militia in the south, they formed a dozen militias so that even if Saudi can control some, they cannot control them all,” Al-Iryani said.

    “Currently, there are Yemeni mercenaries for the Emirates,” he added. “They have these armed groups that they have formed and supported and trained, and they can use them to destabilize the country and obstruct any peace aspects in the long run.”

    While Riyadh does not support the Houthis, Al-Iryani emphasized that Saudi-Houthi relations had entered a pragmatic phase before October 7.

    “For the past three years, the Houthis were under the impression they had made a deal with Saudi Arabia,” he said. “They figured since we’re going to get all the land that we want on the negotiation table, why fight now as we used to?” he added.

    That understanding unraveled after the Gaza war. “That has changed from the Saudi side by the strong, aggressive stance of the Houthis in support of the people of Gaza,” he said.

    “The Saudis tolerated the losses that the Houthis’ activity in the Red Sea caused them,” Al-Iryani noted. “But when the fighting formally stopped in Gaza with the current ceasefire, it became clear to the Houthis that the Saudis have no interest in going back to the agreement that they had negotiated before October 7th,” he explained.

    He stressed that Saudi Arabia remains focused on limiting Houthi influence rather than accommodating it. “I believe that the Saudis are committed to ending the war,” Al-Iryani said. “It is in their best interest to stop the fighting because it affects them directly as a neighboring country,” he noted.

    As military and political dynamics shifted, long-standing allegations against UAE-backed forces resurfaced.

    “Regarding the secret prisons operated by the UAE in Yemen, this is not a new issue,” a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a told The Media Line under conditions of anonymity. “It has been documented for years in reports issued by local and international human rights organizations,” he said.

    “These reports did not receive sufficient attention due to the political and military alignment between the UAE and Saudi Arabia,” he added, “which has had severe repercussions on Yemeni civilians who have paid a heavy price as a result of the expansion of Emirati influence in several southern provinces,” he continued.

    UAE officials have denied accusations that it is running secret prisons in Yemen. The Media Line reached out to multiple sources for more details, but they did not respond.

    Al-Hamidi detailed the record. “On May 25, 2017, SAM for Rights and Liberties announced the discovery of dozens of secret detention sites in Aden, Hadramawt, and Shabwa, operated by unlawful forces backed by the UAE,” he said.

    “Most alarming, however, are reports revealing coordination between UAE-backed forces and elements linked to al-Qaida,” Al-Hamidi added. “This raises serious concerns about the nature of this coordination and its role in fueling extremism rather than combating it.”

    Al-Hamidi added that subsequent documentation by the SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties expanded on these findings. According to reports published by the organization in the years that followed, including investigations into enforced disappearances and a comprehensive report titled “The Long Absence,” the network of secret detention facilities was accompanied by systematic patterns of disappearance, with dozens of detainees remaining unaccounted for.

    “Dozens of victims remain missing to this day,” Al-Hamidi said, warning that many cases have faded from public attention despite being fully documented by human rights organizations.

    From Sana’a, the Yemeni journalist warned of the broader consequences. “What the UAE has done goes far beyond the framework of the Arab Coalition, constituting grave human rights violations, a breach of Yemeni sovereignty, and a violation of international law,” he said.

    “Ultimately, the continued presence of the UAE in Yemen has contributed significantly to prolonging the conflict, strengthening Houthi influence, and creating an unstable environment in which the threat of terrorism is used as a political tool against opponents,” he added.

    Looking ahead, assessments of Saudi–Emirati relations diverge sharply.

    “In my view, it is unlikely that we will see a further confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the UAE in Yemen,” the Yemeni journalist said, “despite the clear differences in their objectives and approaches,” he added.

    “The relationship between the two countries is based on a broader strategic partnership that goes beyond the Yemeni file,” he noted, “which is why disagreements are usually managed behind the scenes rather than through open confrontation,” he added.

    Al-Iryani offered a far bleaker outlook. “I think that the break between Saudi Arabia and the UAE is going to be permanent,” he said, citing Abu Dhabi’s alignment with Israel, still seen as a hostile actor for Riyadh.

    “The current withdrawal of STC and formally with it of the Emirates doesn’t end the fighting on the ground, it helps Riyadh to gain back control gradually, but for sure this is far from over,” Al-Iryani said.

    As Yemen enters yet another phase of recalibration, the retreat of the STC, Saudi Arabia’s renewed political initiative in Riyadh, the reassessment of the Houthi file after Gaza, and the resurfacing of long-documented human rights violations together underscore how unresolved the conflict remains.

    What has changed is that the fault lines within the coalition itself, long present beneath the surface, are now shaping events as decisively as the war’s original divisions, leaving Yemen caught between competing regional agendas, fragile local actors, and an elusive path toward stability.

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  • Yemen’s southern separatists welcome Saudi call for dialogue amid Saudi-UAE rift

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    Yemen’s southern separatists welcomed a Saudi call for dialogue as fighting eased in the south, raising hopes of de-escalation in a rare public rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

    Yemen’s southern separatists welcomed on Saturday a call for dialogue by Saudi Arabia to end a recent military escalation, a potential sign that an unusually public confrontation between the kingdom and the United Arab Emirates may be easing.

    The fast-moving crisis in Yemen has opened a major feud between the two Gulf powers and fractured a coalition of forces, headed by Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is fighting the Iran-backed Houthis.

    The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council has for years been part of that government, which controls southern and eastern Yemen and is backed by Gulf states, but last month STC forces suddenly seized swathes of territory.

    The crisis triggered the biggest split in decades between formerly close allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as years of divergence on critical issues came to a head, threatening to upend the regional order.

    The STC said in a statement on Saturday that the Saudi initiative was a “genuine opportunity for serious dialogue” that could safeguard “the aspirations of the southern people.”

    Supporters of the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) wave flags of the United Arab Emirates and of the STC, during a rally in Aden, Yemen, December 30, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Fawaz Salman)

    Saudi-backed forces reclaim Mukalla

    The STC’s statement came hours after Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government said it had retaken control of Mukalla, the key eastern port and capital of Hadramout province, from the southern separatists who seized it last month.

    Rapid government gains since Friday have reversed many of the STC gains last month and cast doubt on the viability of its intention to hold a referendum on independence within two years.

    Saudi-backed forces had already taken control of key locations in Hadramout, a large province with stretches of desert along the Saudi border.

    STC forces blocked roads leading to Aden from the northern provinces, residents said. The group appealed for regional and international leaders to intervene against what it described as a “Saudi-backed military escalation.”

    In a statement, it added that northern Islamist factions – an apparent reference to the Islah party that is part of the internationally recognized government – had targeted civilians and vital infrastructure.

    The UAE, the main STC supporter, urged restraint, saying it was “deeply concerned” about the escalation in Yemen.

    Yemen, split for a decade between warring regions, sits at a highly strategic location between the world’s top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait that guards the vital sea route between Europe and Asia.

    Yemen calls for Saudi Arabia hold peace summit with UAE, Southern Transition Council

    Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council, submitted a request for Saudi Arabia to host a peace conference in Riyadh for all factions involved in the recent flare-up of violence in southern Yemen, Yemeni state-owned outlet Saba News Agency reported early on Saturday.

    Saudi Arabia welcomed the request in an announcement released by the Saudi Foreign Affairs Ministry, stating that the only way to resolve the conflict is “through dialogue within the framework of a comprehensive political solution in Yemen.”

    The ministry emphasized the importance of “building on the close relation between the two brotherly countries” and continuing Saudi efforts “to support and strengthen the security and stability of the Republic of Yemen.”

    Tarek Saleh, a member of the Saudi-backed Yemen Presidential Council, met with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Salman and exchanged viewpoints on Yemen.

    They discussed means to bolster joint efforts to support the stability of the country and the region’s security, according to a post on X by the Yemeni official early Sunday.

    Aden airport reopens following temporary closure amid conflict

    Aden airport, the main transport hub for areas of Yemen outside Houthi control, was closed on Thursday after a dispute over new restrictions announced by the internationally recognized government on flights with the UAE, but flights are due to resume on Sunday, officials at Yemen’s national airline said.

    The STC and Saudi Arabia have accused each other of responsibility for shutting off air traffic. The STC, in its statement on Saturday, said southern Yemen was being subjected to a land, sea, and air blockade.

    The crisis began early last month when the STC seized swathes of territory, including Hadramout, establishing firm control over the whole territory of the former state of South Yemen that merged with the north in 1990.

    The leadership of the internationally recognized government, which had been based in Aden and included several ministers from the STC, departed for Saudi Arabia, which regarded the southern move as a threat to its security.

    Fellow Gulf monarchy Qatar, which has long had regional policy differences with the UAE, said it welcomed efforts by Yemen’s internationally recognized government to address the southern issue.

    How far the feud between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over their differences on regional security bleeds into other issues may become plainer over the weekend as both countries join a scheduled OPEC meeting to determine the group’s oil output policy.

    Early this week, Saudi Arabia bombed a base in Hadramout and asked all remaining UAE forces in Yemen to depart, calling this a red line for its security, and the UAE complied.

    The STC declaration on Friday that it wants a two-year transition period leading to a referendum on independence for a new South Arabian state was the movement’s clearest indication yet of its intention to secede.

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  • Which countries, movements, groups are involved in Yemen’s yearslong conflict?

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    Yemen’s more than decade-long civil war has flared up after a United Arab Emirates-backed separatist movement swept through territory in the south, splintering the Saudi-led coalition.

    Yemen’s more than decade-long civil war has flared up after a United Arab Emirates-backed separatist movement swept through territory in the south, splintering the Saudi-led coalition that was created to fight the Iran-aligned Houthi group.

    Below are details of the key factions in the conflict in Yemen, which has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises:

    The Houthis

    The Yemeni conflict was triggered when the Houthi movement, formally named Ansar Allah, ousted the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government of then-president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi in late 2014.

    The group remains the dominant military force in the country, controlling the capital Sanaa and Yemen’s populous northern highlands. It is estimated to control territory where between 60% to 65% of Yemenis live.

    The Saudi-led coalition accuses Iran of arming, training and funding the Houthis. The group denies being an Iranian proxy and says it develops its own weapons.

    HOUTHI TERRORISTS carry weapons as they stand near the site of Israeli airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, in September. (credit: KHALED ABDULLAH/REUTERS)

    The Houthis have demonstrated their missile and drone capabilities during the Yemen war in attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE, targeting oil installations and vital infrastructure.

    Seen as part of a regional alliance known as the “Axis of Resistance” backed by Iran, the Houthis have also rallied behind the Palestinians in the Gaza war, lobbing drones and missiles at Israel and attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

    The Houthis have proven resilient, defying over ten years of bombing by the Saudi-led coalition, as well as US and British strikes in recent years.

    Saudi Arabia

    Riyadh entered Yemen when it led the military coalition against the Houthis in March 2015, seeking to restore Hadi’s government. Saudi Arabia sought to prevent an Iran-aligned group from consolidating power on its southern border.

    Riyadh and Tehran, despite a China-brokered thawing of relations, have long been regional rivals and deeply distrust one another.

    STC

    The Southern Transitional Council, which was trained and equipped by the United Arab Emirates, seeks secession for the south, which was an independent state until unification with the north in 1990. The southern leadership at the time tried to secede in 1994 but was swiftly beaten by then-president Ali Abdallah Saleh’s army.

    The STC, led by Aidarous al-Zubaidi, is ostensibly part of the Saudi-led coalition but declared in 2020 it would establish self-rule in the south. Tensions peaked in December 2025 when the group seized large swathes of land in Hadramout and Al Mahra provinces and swept to the borders of Saudi Arabia, challenging the regional heavyweight’s influence.

    Islah party

    The Yemeni Congregation for Reform, better known as al-Islah, is a Sunni Islamist movement with historic ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. It is a key faction within the recognized government but is viewed by the UAE and the STC as a terrorist organization. Its major stronghold has long been Marib, the country’s sole gas-producing region with one of its largest oilfields.

    UAE

    The UAE joined the Saudi-led coalition and was among its most effective ground forces. A withdrawal of UAE troops was announced in 2019 and completed in 2020, but it maintained influence on the ground through the STC and other factions.

    Abu Dhabi is motivated by its antipathy towards the Muslim Brotherhood and securing shipping lanes in the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden, analysts have said.

    The Saudi-backed government

    The eight-member Presidential Leadership Council, led by Rashad al-Alimi, is the internationally recognized authority in Yemen but faces dwindling power. It was formed in Riyadh in April 2022 to replace former president Hadi and unify anti-Houthi forces, but the council has been paralyzed by the divisions it was meant to solve.

    Following the STC’s December offensive, the government’s effective control is likely now limited to small, isolated pockets, and is reliant on Saudi airpower.

    National Resistance Forces

    The National Resistance Forces are a well-equipped anti-Houthi force led by Tarek Saleh, a nephew of former Yemeni president Saleh and a member of the PLC. Originally established with UAE support to battle the Houthis on Yemen’s west coast, the force has maintained ties to Saudi Arabia and aims for a unified Yemen, positioning itself as a counterweight to both the Houthis and southern secessionists.

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  • Saudi Envoy Says Leader of Yemen Separatist Group STC Blocked Delegation’s Aden Landing

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    DUBAI, Jan 2 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s ambassador ‌to ​Yemen said on ‌Friday that Aidarus Al-Zubaidi, the leader of the ​UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), refused landing permission the previous day for ‍a plane carrying a ​Saudi delegation to Aden.

    The halt in flights at Aden ​international airport ⁠was the latest sign of a deepening crisis between Gulf powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose rivalry is reshaping war-torn Yemen.

    “For several weeks and until yesterday, the Kingdom ‌sought to make all efforts with the Southern Transitional ​Council to ‌end the escalation … but ‍it ⁠faced continuous rejection and stubbornness from Aidarus Al-Zubaidi,” the Saudi ambassador, Mohammed Al-Jaber, said on X.

    Yemen’s separatist STC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Jaber’s statement.

    Zubaidi issued directives to close air traffic at Aden airport on Thursday, the ​ambassador added, saying that a plane carrying a Saudi delegation to Aden aiming to find solutions to the crisis was denied permission to land.

    In a statement on Thursday, the STC-controlled transport ministry accused Saudi Arabia of imposing an air blockade, saying Riyadh required all flights to go via Saudi Arabia for extra checks.

    The UAE backs the STC, which seized swathes of southern Yemen last month ​from the internationally recognised government, backed by Saudi Arabia, which in turn saw the move as a threat.

    The Aden international airport is the main gateway for regions ​of the country outside Houthi control.

    (Reporting by Ahmed Elimam; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Gulf alliance tested as Saudi Arabia pushes back against UAE role in Yemen

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    A rare dispute between Saudi Arabia and the UAE erupted after Riyadh launched airstrikes in Yemen, accusing Abu Dhabi-backed forces of threatening stability by seizing territory.

    On December 31, Saudi Arabia laid down a gauntlet over Yemen. It carried out airstrikes on vehicles that it said had been smuggled to the port of Mukalla from the UAE.

    It said that recent gains by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in Yemen in the last weeks were approaching a red line. Riyadh called out the UAE by name, an unusual type of dispute in the Gulf. The Gulf is usually conservative in its policies, and countries don’t like to argue.

    There are exceptions, such as when Riyadh led a number of countries to break ties with Qatar in 2017. This has changed now, and Riyadh and Doha appear more friendly. Riyadh is also more friendly with Ankara and Tehran. As such, Saudi Arabia is now empowered.

    The question about Yemen is whether the UAE may have overplayed its hand or if the STC overstepped its bounds. Today, there is a war of words in the media in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The UAE supports the STC. Saudi Arabia is messaging that things are not acceptable in Yemen.

    An analysis piece at Arab News in Saudi Arabia says that it’s important for Yemen not to be “Sudanized.” Sudan is in the midst of a civil war. So is Yemen. Saudi Arabia has backed the Yemeni government in Yemen.

    Damaged military vehicles, reportedly sent by the United Arab Emirates to support Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatist forces, following an air strike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in the port of Mukalla, southern Yemen, on December 30, 2025. (credit: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

    The government is weak

    However, the government is weak and doesn’t control much of the country. “In a region already teetering on the edge, Yemen’s rapidly evolving situation on the ground is raising alarm bells. While international observers continue to place their bets on diplomacy and de-escalation, there is growing concern that the country may be inching toward a dangerous regional conflagration. At the heart of this anxiety lies the Yemeni government’s and the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen’s unwavering commitment to preserving territorial unity and preventing the rise of extremist safe havens that could destabilize not just Yemen, but the broader region and beyond,” Arab News says.

    The analysis goes on to note “it would be naive to view developments in southern Yemen in isolation. The parallels with Sudan — where the Rapid Support Forces have left a trail of devastation and a massacre in places like El Fasher — and with the recent Israeli recognition of Somaliland, are too stark to ignore. These cases serve as cautionary tales of what could unfold in Yemen if the Southern Transitional Council were allowed to unilaterally impose a new reality through force and foreign alliances.”

    Al-Ain media in the UAE is seeking to show that the STC is doing the right thing. It analyzes the areas the STC recently conquered near the Saudi border. This includes the large region of Hadhramaut.

    “The return of Hadhramaut to the forefront of the Yemeni scene was not just a passing event, as the largest governorate in terms of geographical area had remained an arena for terrorism and corruption and a supply line for the Houthis for years,” Al-Ain says. The report claims that the Muslim Brotherhood has been active in this area. It also says the Iranian-backed Houthis and Al Qaeda are active here.

    “As a result of this situation, the streets of the governorate remained under the weight of protests demanding services and supporting the Transitional Council to intervene to defeat the triad of death that has been squatting on the chest of the governorate for years.”

    The long article seeks to explain how the STC came to control Hadhramaut in a rapid campaign in early December. The reasons for this go back to 2022, the article argues. It’s worth noting that Saudi Arabia had dialed back its involvement in Yemen in 2022 after intervening in the country in 2015. Riyadh has also patched things up with Iran, and the Houthis have stopped attacking Saudi Arabia.

    As such, the UAE remained in Yemen even as the Saudis seemed to be reducing their role. The UAE-backed STC success seemed to be the first major change on the battlefield in years.

    A second report at Al-Ain says that “the southern government moves in Yemen were not the product of a passing moment, but rather the result of accumulated security and economic factors that observers confirm have deepened the crisis and created a fragile reality that requires intervention to restore balance.”

    It adds, “Yemeni analysts told Al-Ain News that over the years, strategic areas have turned into open arenas for conflicting influence, growing corruption networks, and arms and drug smuggling, amid weak state institutions and the erosion of their ability to impose their sovereignty, which has directly affected security and stability and prolonged the conflict.”

    Another Al-Ain report also says that the STC believes that the Yemen government has stabbed it in the back. Mohammed al-Zubaidi, the head of the Southern Transitional Council in Wadi Hadhramaut, has said that the head of the Presidential Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, the official president of Yemen’s government, has provided false reports.

    He added that “the head of the Presidential Leadership Council and his allies are now stabbing the South and Hadhramaut in the back, despite the sacrifices made by the people of the South, and the land and areas provided by their Governorates to enable the Council to carry out its work.”

    According to other reports, after the Saudi airstrikes, the STC has withdrawn from areas near Mukalla, and the UAE is going to withdraw forces as well. Nevertheless, the STC says it remains steadfast in confronting threats.

    The military spokesman for the STC, Mohammed Al-Naqeeb, said that his forces stand firmly in areas from “Al-Mahra in the east to Bab al-Mandab in the west, and from Mayun to Socotra.”

    While the UAE media has covered the STC announcements, the media in Saudi Arabia portrays Riyadh’s actions as having widespread support.

    Arab News noted “Gulf and Arab countries on Tuesday offered their support for the internationally recognized government in Yemen, after the UAE withdrew its forces from the country. It came after the military coalition supporting Yemen’s government carried out airstrikes targeting a shipment of weapons and vehicles destined for southern separatist forces. The shipment arrived in the port of Al-Mukalla on two vessels that traveled from Fujairah in the UAE.”

    The report added that “rarely on Tuesday, shortly after the airstrikes, Rashad Al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s presidential council, told Emirati authorities to withdraw their troops from Yemen within 24 hours. Saudi authorities said the separatists, who operate under the Southern Transitional Council and are supported by the UAE, pose a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security and regional stability, after recently seizing territory in the governorates of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra.”

    The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is now doubling down on saying it will confront threats. Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet, chaired by King Salman, said this in a meeting, according to reports. Saudi Arabia’s king also received a message from Russia’s Vladimir Putin, according to Arab News. This shows how Riyadh enjoys strong connections abroad.

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  • Yemen’s Saudi-Led Coalition Says It Will Deal With Military Moves in Hadramout

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    CAIRO, Dec ‌27 (Reuters) – ​Yemen’s Saudi-led ‌coalition said any military ​moves by the ‍main southern separatist ​group STC ​in ⁠the eastern province of Hadramout contrary to de-escalation efforts will be dealt ‌with to protect civilians, ​the Saudi ‌state news ‍agency reported ⁠on Saturday.

    The statement from the coalition spokesperson, General Turki al-Malki, comes in response ​to a request from Yemen’s head of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, to the coalition to take immediate measures to protect civilians in the ​Hadramout from “violations committed armed groups affiliated with the STC”.

    (Reporting by Yomna ​Ehab; Editing by William Mallard)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Saudi Arabia Says Yemen Group Should Withdraw Its Forces From Seized Provinces

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    DUBAI, Dec 25 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia said ‌on ​Thursday it remains hopeful ‌that Yemen’s main southern separatist group will end an ​escalation that has given it broad control across the south, deepening uncertainties in ‍a country already divided ​between two administrations since civil war erupted over a decade ago.

    In ​a ⁠foreign ministry statement, the kingdom described the military operations by Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) – through which the group seized the eastern provinces of Hadramout and Mahra earlier this month – as an “unjustified escalation.”

    “The kingdom remains hopeful ‌that the public interest will prevail through ending the escalation by the ​Southern ‌Transitional Council and the ‍withdrawal ⁠of its forces from the two governorates in an urgent and orderly manner,” the statement said.

    The UAE-backed STC forces were initially part of the Sunni Muslim Saudi-led alliance that intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Iran-aligned Houthis. But the STC turned on the government and sought self-rule in the ​south, including the major port city of Aden where the Saudi-backed administration is headquartered.

    A joint Saudi-Emirati military delegation arrived in Aden on December 12 to discuss measures aimed at defusing tensions. Saudi Arabia said the teams were sent to put “the necessary arrangements” to ensure the return of STC forces to their previous positions outside the two provinces.

    The kingdom added, however, that these efforts remain in progress to restore the situation to its previous state.

    Yemen has ​been marred by civil war since 2014, through which the Houthis took control of the northern part of the country including the capital, Sanaa, pushing the Saudi-backed government to flee south ​and headquarter in the port city of Aden.

    (Reporting by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • The Arab World’s Last Militant Leader Is Elusive and Defiant

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    Over the past two years, Israel has systematically killed off or hobbled the leaders of its most-powerful enemies: Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. Yet it hasn’t been able to neutralize one, whose unrelenting resistance has made him, in the eyes of supporters, the last militant leader still fighting in the Middle East.

    Diminutive and soft-spoken, Abdulmalik Al-Houthi has survived relentless attacks by Israel, the U.S. and other regional powers by hiding out in caves and never appearing in public while counting on Iran’s support to help keep his rebel movement in power in Yemen. For more than a decade as commander of Houthi forces, his playbook has been to keep challenging more formidable opponents with brazen missile attacks, gambling they have more to lose than he does. 

    Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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  • Ship ablaze after being hit off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, British military says

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    A ship caught fire Saturday in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen after being struck by a projectile, the British military said, with one report suggesting its crew was preparing to abandon the vessel.

    The incident comes as Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been attacking ships through the Red Sea corridor. However, the rebels did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take them hours or even days to do so.

    The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center issued an alert about the vessel, describing the incident as taking place some 210 kilometers (130 miles) east of Aden.

    “A vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile, resulting with a fire,” the UKMTO said. “Authorities are investigating.”

    The maritime security firm Ambrey described the ship as a Cameroon-flagged tanker that was “en route from Sohar, Oman, to Djibouti.” It said radio traffic suggested the crew was preparing to abandon ship and a search-and-rescue effort was underway.

    Details offered about the ship appeared to correspond to the Falcon, a Cameroon-flagged tanker that carries liquefied petroleum gas. The Falcon previously had been identified by United Against Nuclear Iran, a New York-based pressure group, as operating allegedly in an Iranian “ghost fleet” of ships moving their oil products in the high seas despite international sanctions. The ship’s owners and operators, listed as being in India, could not be immediately reached for comment.

    The Houthis have gained international prominence during the Israel-Hamas war over their attacks on shipping and Israel, which they said were aimed at forcing Israel to stop fighting. Since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, no attacks have been claimed by the rebel group.

    The Houthi campaign against shipping has killed at least nine mariners and seen four ships sunk. It upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods passed each year before the war. The rebels’ most recent attack hit the Dutch-flagged cargo ship Minervagracht on Sept. 29, killing one crew member on board and wounding another.

    Meanwhile, the Houthis have increasingly threatened Saudi Arabia and taken dozens of workers at United Nations agencies and other aid groups as prisoners, alleging without evidence they were spies — something fiercely denied by the world body and others.

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  • Turkey Pleased With Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Will Monitor Implementation

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    ANKARA (Reuters) -President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday he was very pleased that Hamas-Israel negotiations had resulted in a Gaza ceasefire deal, adding that Turkey would closely monitor its strict implementation and continue to contribute to the process.

    Turkey, which participated in the ceasefire negotiations in Egypt, has been one of the harshest critics of Israel’s assault on Gaza, calling it a genocide. It has halted all trade with Israel, repeatedly called for international measures against its government, and demanded a two-state solution.

    “I am very pleased that the Hamas-Israel talks taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, with contributions from us as Turkey, have resulted in a ceasefire in Gaza,” Erdogan posted on X.

    TURKEY WON’T REST UNTIL PALESTINIAN STATE SET UP

    He thanked U.S. President Donald Trump “who demonstrated the necessary political will to encourage the Israeli government towards the ceasefire”, and also thanked Qatar and Egypt.

    “As Turkey, we will closely monitor the strict implementation of the agreement and continue to contribute to the process,” he added, saying Ankara would not stop until a sovereign Palestinian state was established.

    Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin attended the talks in Egypt. Ankara, which calls Hamas a resistance group, has taken an increased role in discussions after last month’s White House meeting between Erdogan and Trump.

    Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said ahead of the truce announcement that after the sides declare a ceasefire as a first step in Trump’s plan to end the war, they would work on “heavier” issues like ensuring security in Gaza and post-war scenarios.

    In a statement, Turkey’s foreign ministry said it hoped the momentum in these talks could lead to a two-state solution.

    “We welcome the establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza and hope that this ceasefire will bring an end to the genocide that has continued for the past two years,” it said.

    “With the ceasefire in place, it is imperative that humanitarian aid be delivered to Gaza … and that efforts for the reconstruction of Gaza be launched without delay,” it added, saying Ankara would continue providing humanitarian aid.

    (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu. Writing by Daren Butler. Editing by Sharon Singleton and Mark Potter)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Celebrations Erupt in Gaza and Israel at News of Deal to End Two-Year War

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    KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza/TEL AVIV (Reuters) -Palestinians and the families of Israeli hostages broke into wild celebrations on Thursday after news of a pact between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza and return home all the Israeli hostages, both living and dead.

    In Gaza, where most of the more than 2 million people have been displaced by Israeli bombing, young men applauded in the devastated streets, even as Israeli strikes continued in some parts of the enclave.

    “Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing,” said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

    “I am not the only one happy, all of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed. Thank you and all the love to those who stood with us.”

    In Tel Aviv’s so-called Hostages Square, where families of those seized in the Hamas attack that sparked the war two years ago have gathered to demand the return of loved ones, Einav Zaugauker, the mother of a hostage, was ecstatic.

    “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I’m feeling … it’s crazy,” she said, speaking in the red glow of a celebratory flare.

    “What do I say to him? What do I do? Hug and kiss him,” she added, referring to her son, Matan. “Just tell him that I love him, that’s it. And to see his eyes sink into mine … It’s overwhelming — this is the relief.”

    Israel and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for the Palestinian enclave, a ceasefire and hostage deal that could open the way to ending a bloody two-year-old war that has disrupted the Middle East.  

    “I have no words to describe it,” said former hostage Omer Shem-tov, when asked how the moment felt.  

    Just a day after the second anniversary of the cross-border attack by Hamas militants that triggered Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza, indirect talks in Egypt yielded a deal on the initial stage of Trump’s 20-point framework for peace.

    In Gaza, circles of young men in the streets applauded the news, one of them clapping as he was hoisted onto the shoulders of a friend. 

    “These are moments … long awaited by Palestinian citizens after two years of killing and genocide,” said Khaled Shaat, a Palestinian in the city of Khan Younis.

    If fully adopted, the accord would bring the two sides closer than any prior effort to halt a regional war that drew in neighbours Iran, Lebanon and Yemen, deepened Israel’s international isolation and changed the Middle East.

    Gaza authorities say more than 67,000 people have been killed and much of the enclave flattened since Israel began its military response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. 

    About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage back to Gaza, according to Israeli officials, with 20 of the 48 hostages still held believed to be alive.

    (Reporting by Rami Amichay and Andreea Popescu; Writing by Clarence Fernandez; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Crew of Dutch Cargo Ship Safely Transferred to Djibouti, Says EU Maritime Mission

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    DUBAI (Reuters) -Crew from the Dutch-flagged cargo ship Minervagracht have been safely transferred to Djibouti after an attack with an explosive device required them to be rescued by helicopter the previous day, the EU maritime mission Aspides said on Tuesday.

    The vessel remains adrift in the Red Sea following the attack that set it on fire and required the rescue of its 19 crew members, according to Aspides and the vessel’s operator.

    (Reporting by Nayera Abdallah; Writing by Tala RaamdanEditing by Ros Russell)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Netherlands-Flagged Cargo Ship Attacked Near Yemen’s Aden, Maritime Firms Say

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    CAIRO (Reuters) -British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Monday that a Netherlands-flagged general cargo ship reportedly came under attack 120 nautical miles southeast of Yemen’s port city of Aden.

    The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) also said that military authorities reported that a vessel, 128 nautical miles off Aden, had been hit by an unknown projectile and was reported to be on fire.

    The UKMTO and Ambrey said they received reports of smoke in the vicinity of the vessel, with the UKMTO saying the ship’s master reported witnessing a splash in the distance.

    At the time of the attack, the vessel was not transmitting its automatic identification system (AIS), Ambrey added.

    The vessel was previously targeted on September 23 on its way to Djibouti, according to Ambrey.

    The UKMTO said on September 23 that a vessel reported a splash and the sound of an explosion in its vicinity 120 nautical miles (222 km) east of Aden.

    Both firms did not identify the party responsible.

    It was not immediately clear if the reported attack was carried out by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, who had launched numerous attacks on vessels in the Red Sea since 2023 that they deem to be linked with Israel in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s war on Gaza.

    (Reporting by Jaidaa Taha and Menna Alaa ElDin and Tala Ramadan; Editing by Toby Chopra)

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  • Israel intercepts Yemen-launched missile

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    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday they intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, which triggered air raid sirens across multiple areas in Israel during the night.

    Residents in Tel Aviv and other cities rushed to shelters. There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. The alert comes after a series of recent drone and missile attacks from Yemen.

    The Houthis later claimed responsibility for the attack.

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    Since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia has repeatedly launched rockets and drones at Israel, citing solidarity with Hamas.

    Houthi attacks have often targeted Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv and Ramon Airport in southern Israel. Israel has retaliated with airstrikes in Yemen, saying it targets locations linked to Houthi military operations.

    In the most recent Israeli airstrike in Yemen on Wednesday, the Houthi-controlled Health Ministry reported at least 35 people killed. In late August, Houthi leaders, including their prime minister and several ministers, were killed in Israeli strikes.

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  • Israeli airstrikes lead to ‘broader support for Houthis,’ Yemeni opposition officials say

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    The strikes allow the Houthis to garner public support against Israel, KAN quoted the source as saying.

    Yemeni opposition officials have criticized Israel’s airstrikes against the Houthis, claiming that the attacks may “lead to broader support for the Houthis,” according to a message received by US senators, KAN reported on Friday.

    The strikes allow the Houthis to garner public support against Israel, KAN quoted the source as saying.

    The source also noted that even the killing of Houthi government members, most of whom are not considered to be “top-tier leaders” or “closely tied to military operations,” is drawing mixed reactions from Yemen’s public.

    Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen, September 10, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

    Israel kills Houthi PM

    Houthi Prime MinisterGhalib al-Rahawi was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Sanaa in late August.

    According to Army Radio, citing Israeli security sources, eight others killed in the attack were the Houthis’ political bureau director, the prime minister’s chief of staff, the group’s cabinet secretary, and its justice minister, economy and trade minister, foreign minister, agriculture minister, and public relations minister.

    Since the strike, the Houthis have begun attacking Israel with seemingly renewed vigor.

    Earlier this week, on Monday, the IDF intercepted three Houthi drones launched from Yemen as sirens sounded in southern Israel. Additionally, on Sunday, a drone launched from Yemen struck the passenger hall at Ramon Airport near Eilat, wounding five with shrapnel.

    In response, Israel struck Sanaa, targeting Houthi army camps, the headquarters of the Houthis’ propaganda department, and a fuel storage site that was used for the regime’s military activity.

    Yonah Jeremy Bob, Amichai Stein, Pesach Benson/TPS, and Reuters contributed to this report.

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  • Israel’s southern airport hit by drone fired by Yemen’s Houthis

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    A drone fired by the Houthi militants in Yemen breached Israel’s air defenses on Sunday and slammed into the country’s southern airport, the Israeli military said.

    It was one of several drones fired by the Houthis, according to the military, but it said most had been intercepted outside of Israel.

    The drone crashed into the passenger terminal at the Ramon International Airport near the resort city of Eilat, the Israeli Airports Authority said, blowing out glass windows and sending smoke plumes billowing.

    The Houthis hailed Sunday’s attack on Ramon Airport — some 19 kilometers (12 miles) from Eilat on Israel’s southern tip — as “a unique, qualitative military operation.”

    “Enemy airports are unsafe, and foreigners must leave them for their own safety,” Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, wrote on social media. “Other sensitive targets are under fire.”

    Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency rescue service said it treated a 63-year-old man for light shrapnel wounds. The damage to Ramon Airport appeared limited, and within a couple of hours, it reopened as normal flights resumed.

    The attack comes days after Israeli strikes on Yemen’s rebel-held capital of Sanaa killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and other officials in his cabinet in a major escalation of the nearly 2-year-old conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group in Yemen.

    Saying that they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians, the Houthis began firing missiles and drones into Israel after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack ignited the Israeli military’s devastating campaign in Gaza.

    The Houthis have stepped up their aerial attacks on Israel in recent months, including by deploying warheads with cluster munitions. They scatter smaller explosive projectiles over a large area and are harder for Israel’s air defense system to stop, which otherwise intercepts most drones and missiles.

    Houthi attacks on Israel, while frequent since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October 2023, have rarely caused major damage or struck significant targets like airports. But in May, a Houthi missile hit near Israel’s main Ben Gurion Airport, prompting many international airlines to cancel flights to Tel Aviv for months.

    Israel pushes forward with Gaza City operation

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to push forward with Israel’s operation in Gaza City, with no reported progress in restarting negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

    “Our effort in Gaza on the last strongholds, actually the last important stronghold, Gaza City, is part of our effort to complete the crushing of the Iranian axis’s chokehold,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

    Netanyahu claimed that over 100,000 Palestinians have heeded the military’s calls to evacuate Gaza City ahead of the operation, a figure disputed by international organizations. The United Nations has reported just 41,000 people out of the city’s population of 1 million leaving over the last month.

    An Israeli army vehicle moves along the border with the Gaza Strip as seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border on September 7, 2025.

    Amir Levy / Getty Images


    Meanwhile, attempts to relaunch negotiations between Israel and Hamas are faltering.

    Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said the militant group won’t lay down its arms until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. But he said that Hamas is ready for a long-term truce and will release the hostages still being held in Gaza in exchange for a number of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

    Naim said Hamas is still waiting for Israel to respond to a 60-day ceasefire proposal crafted by Egyptian and Qatari mediators last month.

    The Prime Minister’s Office refused to comment on negotiations.

    There are 48 hostages still being held in Gaza, around 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive. Militants kidnapped 251 people and killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel during the attack that sparked the war on Oct. 7, 2023.

    The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said a total of 64,368 people have been killed and 162,776 have been wounded since the start of the war. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says more than half of the casualties were women and children.

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  • Israeli military says drone launched from Yemen hits airport arrivals hall

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    The Israeli military says it is investigating the crash of a drone  launched from Yemen that has struck the arrivals hall at Ramon Airport near the Red Sea city of Eilat.

    Airspace above the airport was closed, the Israel Airports Authority had said earlier on Sunday, without providing an immediate reason for the closure.

    The Israeli military said the incident was under review, without providing details on the impact. It did not specify whether the drone had fallen after being intercepted or if it had been a direct hit.

    Earlier, the Israeli military said the air force had intercepted three drones launched from Yemen. It said two were “intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory” but did not elaborate on the status of the third.

    The Israeli newspaper Haaretz, citing the Israeli rescue services, reported that two people were lightly wounded in the drone strike. A 63-year-old man was injured by shrapnel, and a 52-year-old woman was injured after she fell. It said emergency workers evacuated them to a hospital in Eilat while others who suffered panic attacks received medical care at the scene.

    Israeli Army Radio reported that a preliminary investigation into the damage at the airport indicated the drone had not been spotted by the air force’s detection systems at all.

    A warship in Eilat, Israel [File: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP]

    The airport, located near the resort city of Eilat on the border with Jordan and Egypt, mostly handles domestic flights.

    The Houthis in Yemen have been launching missiles and drones thousands of kilometres north towards Israel in what the group says are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians under relentless Israeli fire. It has also been attacking vessels in the Red Sea since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023.

    There has been no immediate comment from the Houthis on the drone strike on Ramon Airport.

    Israel has bombed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the vital Hodeidah port. Its latest barrage killed senior Houthi officials a week and a half ago, including its prime minister and other cabinet officials. Large numbers of civilians have also been killed in Israeli strikes.

    In May, a Houthi missile hit near Israel’s main airport, Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv, injuring four people lightly and causing many airlines to cancel their flights to Israel for months. Israel later struck and destroyed the main airport in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

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  • Israeli airstrike kills Houthi rebel prime minister in Yemen’s capital

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    The Iranian-backed Houthis said Saturday an Israeli airstrike killed the prime minister of the rebel-controlled government in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.Related video above: Indian Navy acts as firefighters on container ship attacked by Houthis in Gulf of Aden (03/06/24)Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in a Thursday strike in Sanaa along with a number of ministers, the rebels said in a statement.The Israeli military said Thursday that it “precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen.”Al-Rahawi, who served as prime minister to the Houthi-led government since August 2024, was targeted along with other members of his Houthi-controlled government during a routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year, the rebels’ statement said.The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles against Israel throughout Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The group says the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians. Though most of the missiles launched by Yemen are intercepted by Israel or fragment mid-air, this has done little to deter the attacks.Earlier in the week, Israeli strikes hit multiple areas across Sanaa, killing at least 10 people and wounding 102 others, according to the Houthi-run health ministry and government officials.The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea throughout Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The rebels say their attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians.In response to the Houthi attacks, Israel and a U.S.-led coalition pounded the rebel-held areas in Yemen, including Sanaa and the strategic coastal city of Hodeida. Israeli strikes knocked the Sanaa airport out of service in May.The Trump administration announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to attacks on shipping in May. The rebels, however, said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.

    The Iranian-backed Houthis said Saturday an Israeli airstrike killed the prime minister of the rebel-controlled government in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

    Related video above: Indian Navy acts as firefighters on container ship attacked by Houthis in Gulf of Aden (03/06/24)

    Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in a Thursday strike in Sanaa along with a number of ministers, the rebels said in a statement.

    The Israeli military said Thursday that it “precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen.”

    Al-Rahawi, who served as prime minister to the Houthi-led government since August 2024, was targeted along with other members of his Houthi-controlled government during a routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year, the rebels’ statement said.

    The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles against Israel throughout Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The group says the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians. Though most of the missiles launched by Yemen are intercepted by Israel or fragment mid-air, this has done little to deter the attacks.

    MOHAMMED HUWAIS

    Yemen’s Houthi-led government’s Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi visits the offices of the Palestinian Hamas movement in Sanaa, to offer his condolences over the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the head of the Hamas movement, on Oct. 20, 2024.

    Earlier in the week, Israeli strikes hit multiple areas across Sanaa, killing at least 10 people and wounding 102 others, according to the Houthi-run health ministry and government officials.

    The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea throughout Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The rebels say their attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians.

    In response to the Houthi attacks, Israel and a U.S.-led coalition pounded the rebel-held areas in Yemen, including Sanaa and the strategic coastal city of Hodeida. Israeli strikes knocked the Sanaa airport out of service in May.

    The Trump administration announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to attacks on shipping in May. The rebels, however, said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.

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  • Israel strikes in Yemen’s capital, targets area of presidential complex, missile bases

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    A security source confirmed to the ‘Post’ that Israel is carrying out airstrikes in Sanaa in response to Friday’s missile launch by the Houthis toward Israeli territory.

    The Israeli air force on Sunday afternoon struck the Yemeni Houthi capital of Sanaa, as a response to Friday’s ballistic missile strike by the Houthis on Israel, the IDF confirmed after The Jerusalem Post’s initial confirmation from security sources.

    The strikes, which included more than 10 aircraft flying over 2,000 kilometers for five-and-a-half hours total and dropping around 35 munitions, targeted an area near the presidential complex, the Asar and Hizaz power plants, and sites where the Houthis may keep ballistic missiles.

    The IDF added that the presidential palace in the Sanaa area is located within a military site from which Houthi forces operate.

    The Hizaz and Asar power plants, which were also struck, served as a significant electricity supply facility for Houthi activities, the military said.

    A security source has confirmed that Israel is carrying out airstrikes in Sanaa in response to Friday’s missile launch by the Houthis toward Israeli territory.

    Israeli strikes in Houthi-controlled Sanaa in Yemen, August 24, 2025. (credit: screenshot via X/ section 27a copyright act)

    Shortly after the Post received confirmation as an on background statement, the Defense Ministry put out a photo of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, and Air Force Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Omer Tishler is managing the attack from Air Force Headquarters.

    Israeli counterattacks sought to halt Houthi economy, ability to resupply weapons

    In the past, most Israeli counterattacks have been against the Yemeni Houthi port city of Hodeidah in order to grind their economy and ability to resupply weapons to a halt.

    However, the IDF has also struck before in Sanaa, especially multiple times at the country’s international airport there.

    Some of the sites being hit are expected to widen the extent of electricity shortages in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

    If the sites being hit are new sites that will more significantly harm the Houthis’ ballistic missile capabilities, this would be one of the first achievements of a new emphasis on wider intelligence collection within Yemen.

    The Post has learned that there is a strong push by Israeli intelligence to better understand ways to reduce the Houthi threat, but also that Israeli intelligence is playing catch-up after mostly ignoring Yemen until this war, or even deep into the war when it became apparent that US pressure would not stop Houthi attacks on Israel.

    Reuters contributed to this report. This is a developing story.

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