The Yemeni government, supported by Saudi airstrikes, launched a military offensive on Monday aimed at reclaiming a strategic Red Sea waterway, following the announcement of a new campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthi militia. This escalation recalls the 2015 Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, which sought to restore the internationally recognized government after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.
In March 2015, Saudi Arabia spearheaded a coalition of predominantly Sunni Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates, initiating an extensive air campaign targeting Houthi forces. The coalition’s declared objective was to reinstate the Yemeni government displaced by the Houthis. Despite years of conflict, the Houthis retained significant territory, and the war triggered one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates conducted the bulk of military operations, with Saudi officials viewing the Houthis as a proxy for Iran, the kingdom’s chief regional rival. Although Iran supplied weapons and training to the Houthis, many analysts consider the militia primarily a domestic movement motivated by internal and regional political factors.
The intervention marked a significant move by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who at 29 had recently assumed the role of defense minister. The UAE pursued its own agenda, distrusting the Islamist Islah party within the anti-Houthi coalition and backing proxy groups such as the Southern Transitional Council, which advocates for southern Yemeni independence and often undermined the coalition’s unity.
Initial successes included recapturing Aden in 2015, but the coalition’s advance soon stalled as the Houthis entrenched near Sanaa. Despite repeated airstrikes, coalition forces struggled to eliminate Houthi military capabilities. Internal divisions deepened, with rival Yemeni factions clashing and friction growing between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. A protracted 2018 Emirati-led attempt to seize the Red Sea port of Hudaydah ended in a stalemate, and international pressure compelled the coalition to retreat as the country approached famine conditions.
In 2019, the Southern Transitional Council turned against its Saudi-backed allies, seizing Aden. The UAE subsequently reduced its presence in Yemen, and a fragile power-sharing arrangement was brokered. However, rather than consolidating the coalition, these developments intensified fractures along political and regional lines.
The conflict inflicted profound humanitarian damage. According to the United Nations, the war contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by violence, hunger, and disease. The coalition faced accusations of war crimes due to airstrikes hitting civilian sites, while Houthi forces were charged with indiscriminate shelling, land mine deployments, and recruiting child soldiers. Blockades imposed by the coalition severely restricted imports through Hudaydah, weakening food and medical supplies, and exacerbating widespread famine and a severe cholera outbreak.
The war also cost Saudi Arabia heavily, both financially and politically. The campaign damaged the kingdom’s international standing and subjected it to missile and drone attacks launched by the Houthis. It became a political liability for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and strained relations with the United States, where congressional efforts sought to limit military aid over humanitarian concerns.
Despite the coalition’s efforts, the Houthis remain in control of Sanaa and large parts of northern Yemen. They have developed enhanced military capabilities, including long-range missiles and drones, underscoring the ongoing complexity and volatility of the conflict as it enters a new phase.