Yemen Conflict Escalates as Houthis Close In On Critical Maritime Chokepoint

Yemen has been a graveyard for imperial troops since the Ottoman Empire's designation as a province in 1872. Decades of deploying thousands of soldiers to suppress local rebellions across the Arabian Peninsula left the empire with staggering casualties, immortalized in song as a warning that those who leave for Yemen never return.

The civil war between the Iran-aligned Houthis and Yemeni forces backed by Saudi Arabia's coalition has ravaged the region since 2014. By the end of 2021, an estimated 321,000 deaths occurred, with more than half resulting from armed conflict and most of the remainder civilians dying from hunger and disease caused by the war.

The parties failed to reach a peace agreement after a ceasefire in 2022 halted fighting between the Houthis and government forces. However, four years of relative peace were shattered this summer as an extension of the Iran-US-Israel confrontation.

A recent escalation has seen the Houthi attacks on Saudi airports, military bases, oil tankers, and oil infrastructure inflict economic and strategic costs on Saudi Arabia. The Houthis want Saudi Arabia to end its presence in Yemen, stop supporting the Yemeni government, and pay war reparations, which they view as compensation for the economic hardships attributed to Saudi Arabia.