Yemen

Yemen: The U.S. launched airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, targeting Houthi bases, Missile defenses, and Houthi leaders.

• About Geopolitical Importance of Yemen:

o Borders: North - Saudi Arabia & East (Oman)

o Coastline & Strategic Importance: Surrounded by the Red Sea (West), Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Guardafui Channel (South).

o Controls the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial maritime passage connecting the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea via the Gulf of Aden.

o The strait is essential for global oil trade and international shipping.

• About Houthis: A Zaidi Shia sect based in northwestern Yemen, particularly in Sa’dah province.

o Origins: Emerged in the 1990s as a rebellion against then-Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s dictatorship.

• Role in the Yemen Civil War: A major faction in the ongoing war, controlling western and north-western Yemen, including the capital Sana’a.
• Other factions include: Yemeni Government (backed by Saudi Arabia and the U.S.).

o Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Ansar al-Sharia (a terrorist group in Yemen).

• Iranian Backing & Anti-Israel Position: Part of the "Axis of Resistance", an Iran-led alliance opposing Israel and the West.