Yemen is back in the global spotlight after the Iran-aligned Houthi group earlier this month made military gains against the forces loyal to the internationally recognised government, tightening its grip over the Red Sea coast. The latest escalation in the Arab region’s most impoverished nation follows a period of relative calm that had largely held since the United Nations-brokered ceasefire in 2022 between the Iran-aligned group and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. The Houthi takeover of northwestern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014 had drawn Saudi military intervention.
The fighting left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced, creating a humanitarian crisis. In 2023, Saudi Arabia and the Houthis agreed to a UN roadmap towards a permanent ceasefire after direct talks, but the roadmap was never formalised. Here’s a simple guide to Yemen’s war, from the Houthi takeover in 2014 to the latest escalation.
The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah (supporters of God), are an armed group in control of mainly northwestern Yemen and several areas close to Saudi Arabia. Since September 10, they have tightened control over the country’s Red Sea coast, a vital shipping lane. The Houthis from Yemen’s Zaidi Shia minority emerged in the northern mountainous region of Saada in the 1990s, demanding a greater share of power.
They capitalised on the widespread public anger against the weak transitional government that came to power after longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to step down following the 2011 Arab Spring protests. The Houthis initially allied with military units loyal to former President Saleh as they captured the Red Sea port of Hodeidah in October 2014. In January 2015, they seized the presidential palace in Sanaa, forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to the southern port city of Aden.
Hadi later moved to Saudi Arabia, from where he ran his government-in-exile until his resignation in 2022. The Houthi group then spent years, with Iran’s backing, fighting a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia. Seen as part of a regional alliance known as the “axis of resistance” and backed by Iran, the Houthi group nevertheless has its own base, its own interests, and its own ambitions.
The group has gained international prominence for its attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza in October 2023. Riyadh entered the Yemen war when it led a military coalition against the Houthis in March 2015, seeking to restore the government of then-President Hadi. Houthis have accused Riyadh of carrying out hundreds of attacks in support of the internationally recognised government battling the Houthis in the latest fighting.
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