Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and energy installations, together with the threats they pose to shipping in the Red Sea, show the Yemeni rebel group’s intentions to expand their control in Yemen and beyond.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah have been involved in developing the group’s military capabilities and operations. Tehran continues to provide military expertise and technology, while reports reveal that Chinese components are reaching the Houthis for use in manufacturing missiles and drones, raising questions across the Gulf about Beijing’s position.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni government is fighting back. It recently launched Operation Dawn of Yemen, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, aimed at rolling back the Houthis’ recent territorial gains—particularly Bab al-Mandab, the strategic maritime chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea.
In this week’s cover story, Al Majalla examines the military balance of power on the ground, the networks through which the Houthis obtain weapons, and the foreign support they receive. Can the group be defeated militarily? Our writers give their respective takes.
Read more
1. Operation Dawn of Yemen: a domestic fight with regional implications by Ibrahim Jalal
2. Is it time for China to rethink its Houthi policy? by Yang Xiaotong
3. Bigger role, fewer options: how Yemen’s crisis is testing China by Charbel Barakat
4. Can Yemen’s military gains help revive its oil exports? by Jamal Mujahid
More stories to be published soon
