The Yemen Civil War

With Iran a bigger threat than the Houthis, Riyadh is shifting its Yemen strategy to calm the war to its south.

When Yemen's rebels seized three vessels last week, fears rose of a repeat of regional piracy. Such worries are unfounded.

With Aden now under separatists' control, the latest flare-up of north-south violence risks distracting from the anti-Houthi front in Yemen, while fueling intra-southern conflict and jihadist attacks.

A Saudi-brokered deal to make peace between Yemen's Southern Transitional Council and the Hadi government might be little more than temporary.

To deter future attacks on its vital oil sector, Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly weighing whether its next move should be a step closer, or further, from Iran.

The Southern Transitional Council, a partner in the coalition battling Houthi rebels, has ousted the Hadi government from Aden, stressing an already shaky partnership.

The United Arab Emirates remains as committed as ever to rolling back Iran and Yemen's Houthis, but it's taking a step back from the limelight as it strives to achieve its goals.

Tribal, criminal and jihadist violence is commonplace in Aden, but Houthi forces have not carried out such a significant attack on Saudi coalition-led Yemeni forces there since 2015.

Emirati forces from the joint coalition in Yemen are being slowly withdrawn from parts of the country, but Abu Dhabi has used its involvement in the civil war to strengthen its regional footprint overall.

A damaging drone strike closely following a weekend tanker incident raises concerns that an Iranian campaign is targeting Gulf oil production -- but other explanations are possible.