How did the Houthis become so emboldened?
An escalation of attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and the group’s seizure of Yemen’s western coast , comes at a critical time in the region. The rapid advance in a matter of days has given the group unprecedented access to the Bab Al Mandeb strait, a global maritime chokepoint, while displacing at least 125,000 civilians. Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz , another critical…
Over the past week, the Houthis have intensified their attacks against Saudi targets, including the holy city of Makkah, demonstrating a significant escalation in their capacity to fight. This surge in aggression comes as the group has seized Yemen’s western coast and gained unprecedented access to the Bab Al Mandeb strait, a crucial global maritime chokepoint.
The rapid advance in such a short period has displaced at least 125,000 civilians and disrupted the flow of oil, goods, and aid through the Strait of Hormuz, another vital international energy supply route. The conflict between the US and Iran has further exacerbated the situation, with the latter effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz.
Pro-government forces in Yemen have suffered major losses, marking a turning point in the region's dynamics. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher interviews Baraa Shiban, a political analyst on Yemen at the Royal United Services Institute, and Cinzia Bianco, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, to explore how the Houthis have grown in strength so quickly and whether the confrontation will escalate further before it subsides.
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