United States

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Yemen

Economics

Military & Security

U.S.-led coalition forces in the Red Sea engaged an anti-ship ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels over the Gulf of Aden toward a U.S. flagged, owned and operated ship on April 24, AP reported on April 25.

Yemen: More Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea Indicate Persistent Threat to Shipping Routes

Iran

The Iranian ship MV Behshad, which the United States suspects is a spy ship gathering intelligence for Yemen's Houthi rebels to target ships in the Red Sea, has sailed back to Iran, NBC News reported on April 18.

Iran, Yemen: Iranian Spy Ship Sails Home, Denying Houthis Strategic Intelligence

Iraq

Syria

The Israeli military announced that a drone attack targeted a naval base in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, lightly damaging a building but resulting in no casualties, Reuters reported on April 1.

Israel: Iraqi Militia Claims Drone Strike on Israeli Naval Base in Eilat

Hong Kong SAR, China

China

United Kingdom

Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted Chinese-owned oil tanker Huang Pu in the Red Sea on March 23 with four anti-ship ballistic missiles, one of which struck the ship and caused slight damage but no casualties, The National reported on March 24.

Yemen: Houthis Target Chinese-Owned Oil Tanker in Red Sea, Despite Recent Agreement 

Russia

Yemen's Houthi militant group agreed not to target Russian and Chinese ships in the Red Sea following talks in Oman, Bloomberg reported on March 21.

Yemen: Houthis Agree To Not Target Chinese and Russian Ships

The leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said the rebels' military operations of targeting navy and merchant vessels will expand to involve Israeli-linked ships passing through the Indian Ocean toward the Cape of Good Hope, Reuters reported on March 14.

Yemen: Houthis Vow To Expand Their Attacks

Yemen's Houthi rebels said they would not cease maritime attacks in the Red Sea until the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza ends, Israel lifts its seige on Gaza and Israel allows humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reported on March 14.

Yemen: Houthis Set Three Conditions To Ending Maritime Attacks

U.S. warships shot down at least 28 uncrewed aerial vehicles launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels into the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the U.S. Central Command announced on March 9.

Yemen: Houthis Launch Largest Drone Attack Yet

Assessments

Jordan

Lebanon

Iran's large missile and drone attack will prompt an Israeli retaliation that will focus on reestablishing deterrence and preventing future similar attacks on Israel, but in doing so, Israel risks expanding the conflict, further sinking the region into turmoil and possibly dragging in the United States.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

U.S.-Iran Relations

How Israel Might Respond to the Iranian Attack

Somalia

India

A map of the waters off the coast of Somalia. A sustained resurgence in Somali piracy would put additional pressure on the global shipping industry, but its impact will likely be limited compared to that seen in the late 2000s.

A sustained resurgence in Somali piracy would put additional pressure on the global shipping industry, but its impact will likely be limited compared to that seen in the late 2000s.

The Implications of Resurging Pirate Attacks off Somalia's Coast

Angola

Cabo Verde

Cote d'Ivoire

Nigeria

Europe

France

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) meets with French President Emmanuel Macron on Dec. 1, 2023, in Dubai.

Politics

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Blinken Visits Africa, Macron Visits India

Guatemala

Taiwan

Ukraine

Houthis during the capture of an Israel-linked cargo vessel in November 2023 at an unnamed location in the Red Sea.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: The Possible Houthi Reply to U.S.-U.K. Strikes, Taiwan's General Elections

Snapshots

A Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft returns to berth following a strike mission on Yemen's Houthi rebels at RAF Akrotiri on Jan. 12, 2024, in Akrotiri, Cyprus. While U.S.-British joint strikes on the Houthis will degrade some of their capabilities, they are highly unlikely to dissuade the Yemeni militant group from continuing to target shipping in the Red Sea.

The strikes will degrade some Houthi capabilities, but are highly unlikely to dissuade the Yemeni militant group from continuing to target shipping in the Red Sea.

What Western Strikes on the Houthis Mean for Yemen and the Region

Bangladesh

An Awami League campaign rally Jan. 4, 2024, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. On Jan. 7, Bangladesh will hold general elections in which the ruling Awami League will seek a fifth term under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's leadership.

Environment, Science & Technology

Social Issues

Science & Technology

The Weekly Rundown: Bangladeshi Elections, Blinken's Latest Middle East Visit

Saudi Arabia

A picture taken on Nov. 22, 2023, shows the Galaxy Leader cargo ship (right), seized by Houthi fighters two days earlier, approaching a port in the Red Sea off Yemen's province of Hodeida. 

Even if the U.S.-led coalition adopts a restrained approach to the ongoing harassment of ships off the coast of Yemen, it would risk escalation and broadening the conflict to Iran.

Can the U.S. and Its Allies Secure the Red Sea From Houthi Attacks?

United Arab Emirates

A grab from handout footage released by Yemen's Huthi Ansarullah Media Center on Nov. 19, 2023, reportedly shows members of the rebel group during the capture of an Israel-linked cargo vessel at an undefined location in the Red Sea. 

The rebel group's escalating harassment of commercial shipping in the region may leave the Biden administration with little choice but to directly strike back at the Iranian proxy.

In the Red Sea, Houthi Attacks Force the U.S. to Mull a Tougher Response

A Yemeni man about the alleged Houthi-linked hijacking of an Israeli ship in the Red Sea at a newsstand on Nov. 20, 2023, in Sanaa, Yemen. 

The Iran-backed rebel group's escalating harassment of military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea may eventually force the U.S. and Israel to respond by attacking Houthi targets in Yemen.

Houthi Maritime Attacks Risk Bringing the Gaza War to Yemen

Bahrain

Egypt

Kuwait

Morocco

Oman

Qatar

Tunisia

Turkey

Students from the American University of Beirut (AUB) rally in support of Palestinians outside the main gate of the university in the Lebanese capital on Oct. 9, 2023. 

Israel's likely ground invasion in Gaza will alienate many Muslims in the Middle East, pressuring their governments to respond in support of Palestinians.

Gauging the Regional Response to the Gaza Conflict

Sudan

An aerial view taken Oct. 29, 2022, of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Saudi-UAE tensions will intensify economic, diplomatic and defense competition, with implications for business operations in both and for security in countries like Sudan and Yemen.

Saudi-UAE tensions will intensify economic, diplomatic and defense competition, with implications for business operations in both and for security in countries like Sudan and Yemen.

The Saudi-UAE Regional Rivalry Intensifies

Columns

On Geopolitics

A partial view shows a collapsed UNESCO-listed building in the old city of the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Aug. 10 following heavy rains. 

The continued slowdown in fighting could see Yemen's war take the shape of those in Gaza and Syria, where surges of violence are often followed by longer periods of relative calm.

Yemen's Path to a Frozen Conflict

Yemen is located on the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula, across from the Horn of Africa. With Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the east, Yemen’s land borders are largely isolated by the Empty Quarter, a vast, uninhabited desert that stretches through the region. Across the Red Sea, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia are linked to Yemen by trade, religion and culture. From its vantage point on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Yemen overlooks one of the world’s biggest trade routes.     Yemen has three geographic regions: the northern and western highlands, anchored by the capital Sanaa; the southern coastal harbors around Aden; and the eastern desert of the Hadramawt. For most of its history, the country’s civilization centered on the highlands, where enough rain falls to sustain agriculture. Because they lack oil and mineral resources, Yemen’s highlands are dependent on these farmlands.     Meanwhile coastal harbor cities like Aden survived off trade and piracy, while the desert interior developed a Bedouin trading and raiding culture that siphoned wealth from the two nearby regions. Dwindling water supplies threaten this balance, however, as skyrocketing populations and shifting agricultural practices strain the demographic sustainability of the highlands.     Nearly 20 million of Yemen’s 26.8 million people live in or near the highlands, which envelop and isolate Sanaa. So for outside powers, ports along the Red Sea trade routes of the south tend to make for better targets than the Yemeni capital. Throughout history, states from Rome to Great Britain have tried to capture Aden and its environs. The vulnerability of the city and its southern surroundings to foreign influence and meddling has repeatedly opened rifts between Yemen’s north and south. During these times of tension, the Hadramawt east often slips from the grasp of the central government.     Yemen’s geographic challenges, then, are threefold. First, the country must ward off foreign encroachment on its exposed southern flank. Second, it must find a way to manage its increasingly scarce resources. And third, Sanaa must keep the Hadramawt &mdash; known for its ability to threaten national unity &mdash; under tight control. 

The Yemen Civil War

SITUATION REPORTS

Yemen: More Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea Indicate Persistent Threat to Shipping Routes

Iran, Yemen: Iranian Spy Ship Sails Home, Denying Houthis Strategic Intelligence

Israel: Iraqi Militia Claims Drone Strike on Israeli Naval Base in Eilat

Yemen: Houthis Target Chinese-Owned Oil Tanker in Red Sea, Despite Recent Agreement

Yemen: Houthis Agree To Not Target Chinese and Russian Ships

Yemen: Houthis Vow To Expand Their Attacks

Yemen: Houthis Set Three Conditions To Ending Maritime Attacks

Yemen: Houthis Launch Largest Drone Attack Yet

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