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Yemen

December 22, 2024

Sanaa 7:00 am

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A banner depicting Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stands next to a ballistic missile in Baharestan Square, Tehran, Sept. 26, 2024.

Analysis

Were Israel's Yemen strikes trial run for major attack on Iran?

Some analysts consider the large-scale attack on Yemeni sites a test run for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, but others now view destabilizing the mullahs as the best approach.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Yemeni firefighters douse oil tanks with water at a power station hit in an Israeli airstrike in the Houthi-run capital, Sanaa, Dec. 19, 2024.

Israel strikes Yemen ports, power stations in retaliation against Houthis

Dozens of Israeli fighter jets struck three ports and two power plants in Sanaa, the capital.

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 20: President Donald Trump (R) holds up a chart of military hardware sales as he meets with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Oval Office at the White House on March 20, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

Saudi Arabia to pursue two-track approach for Trump presidency

Riyadh is likely to compartmentalize business dealings with incoming President Donald Trump separately from its foreign policy engagements, where there is likely to be disagreement.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

NUSA DUA, INDONESIA - JULY 08: The Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi (R) greets the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio (L) during arrival of the G20 Foreign Ministers and Head of Department at the Grand Ballroom Mulia Hotel on July 08, 2022 in Nusa Dua, Indonesia. (Photo by Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images)

Interview

EU escorted over 200 ships in Red Sea amid Gulf maritime threats, envoy says

The Gulf states are supporting the EU's Operation Aspides to counter the Houthi threat in the Red Sea region, as both seek greater cooperation on maritime security, said Luigi di Maio.

Luigi di Maio

Luigi di Maio

EU Special Representative for the Gulf

Latest News

Analysis

How Trump could squeeze shipping firms impacted by Red Sea crisis

This aerial photo taken on June 22, 2021, shows cargo containers stacked at Yantian port in Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong province.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

How pro-Iran armed groups reacted to Trump's victory

US President Donald Trump arrives at a Make America Great rally in Mesa, Arizona, Oct. 19, 2018.

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Gulf governments silent as Iran, proxies mourn Hamas' Yahya Sinwar

JOHN WESSELS/AFP via Getty Images

Red Sea, Iran energy threats amplify 2025 global economic risks as trade wars, Trump loom

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 30: A container ship departs the Port of Newark for the Atlantic Ocean on September 30, 2024 seen from New York City. A massive strike that could shut down ports across the East and Gulf coasts could begin at midnight as members of the International Longshoremen’s Association continue to make salary and other demands to the United States Maritime Alliance, which controls many of the ports across the country. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Jennifer Gnana

Gulf Correspondent

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

In an aerial view, container ships sit docked at the Port of Oakland on May 21, 2024, in Oakland, California.

Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd to partner on Africa route avoiding Red Sea

Gemini Cooperation will use the Cape of Good Hope network, which has been the alternative transit route for hundreds of vessels since the Houthis stepped up their attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea in mid-November 2023.

A man walks across from a raging fire at oil storage tanks a day after Israeli strikes on the port of Yemen's Houthi-held city of Hodeidah on July 21, 2024.

Analysis

How an Israeli retaliation on Iran could impact Gulf energy flow

Energy facilities along the east and west of the Arabian Peninsula brace for possible Israeli attacks against Iran and its proxies.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

A cargo ship is docked at the port of Yemen's Huthi-held city of Hodeida on July 28, 2024. Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi entity denies its ship hit as Houthis claim attack on Greek tanker

Saudi Arabia's national shipping company Bahri denied reports that its tanker Amjad came under attack by the Houthis, the Yemeni armed group that has stepped up attacks on oil tankers in the Red Sea.

Houthi ships

Two oil tankers come under attack in the Red Sea, sources say

Oil tankers transiting the Red Sea are facing renewed dangers while transiting one of the world's most critical chokepoints for crude.

Aspides

Houthis allow Greek tanker ablaze in Red Sea to be towed to safety

The Iran-backed rebels said they were responding to concerns by the European Union that the tanker endangered maritime and environmental safety in the Red Sea.

Footage of greek vessel

EU warns Greek tanker ablaze in Red Sea poses maritime, environmental risks

The MV Sounion was carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil from the southern Iraqi port of Basrah when it was attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Debris litters a loading dock a day after Israeli strikes on the port of Yemen's Houthi-held city of Hodeida on July 21, 2024.

Analysis

Israel’s Yemen attack against Houthis warning to nuclear Iran

While concerns grow in Israel over the continued drone and missile attacks by the Houthis in Yemen, the real threat remains that of Iran.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Members of Yemen's security forces stand guard as as Shiite Muslims listen to a speech by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Huthi broadcast on a giant screen during a ceremony commemorating Ashura, July 16, 2024.

Analysis

Is Houthi expansion in Iraq a genuine threat or smoke screen?

Iraq's relations with Saudi Arabia are called into question as the Houthis seek to expand their influence in the region.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

A handout picture obtained from Yemen's Huthi Ansarullah Media Center show a huge column of fire erupting following reported strikes in the Yemeni rebel-held port city of Hodeida opn July 20, 2024.

Israel strikes Houthi targets in Yemen one day after Tel Aviv drone attack

The Israeli military confirmed that it had carried out airstrikes against Houthi-linked targets in Yemen, saying it was in retaliation for some 200 drone and cruise missile attacks towards Israel from Yemen since Oct. 7.

An Israeli policeman makes a phone call on the scene where an explosion took place in Tel Aviv on July 19, 2024.

Iran applauds Houthis for Israel attack, yet keeps distance to avoid blame

During the course of the Israeli war on Gaza, Iran has walked a fine line of praising attacks by its proxies while carefully attempting to dodge a direct confrontation with Israel.

A man looks at a building damaged by a drone explosion that Houthis rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for, Tel Aviv, July 19, 2024.

Analysis

Houthi drone attack exposes Israel’s vulnerability

As the military investigates the episode, an Israeli security official warns that Hamas "has not said its final word" despite receiving the "worst blow" in its history.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A welcoming sign is placed on the shore of the Suez Canal in the northeastern Egyptian city of Ismailiya, May 27, 2021.

Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping wipe $2B off Suez Canal annual revenue

The Suez Canal Authority said revenue for fiscal year 2023/24 fell to $7.2 billion, down from $9.4 billion the preceding year.