Mohammed Al-Jabri in Sana’a
As US warplanes roar over Yemen and Houthi missiles strike back, a troubling reality sets in another warfront is opening in the Middle East.
The Gaza conflict has already shaken the region, and now, Yemen is engulfed in escalating violence, raising fears that this could be the next prolonged battle in a broader regional war. On March 8, Houthi [Ansar Allah] leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi warned that if Israel didn’t reverse its blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza, his forces would resume naval attacks against Israel. He offered a four-day grace period for aid to reach Gaza, declaring, “We meet a siege with a siege.”
In response to this threat—and to pre-empt further escalation—the US launched its large-scale military campaign on March 15, marking its most extensive operation in the Middle East since President Trump took office. While Washington insists the strikes are meant to secure the Red Sea, where Houthi attacks have disrupted shipping, the scale of the operation suggests a larger war is brewing.
“Your time is up, and your attacks must stop, starting today. If they don’t, hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before,” President Donald Trump wrote on social media on March 15. Since November 2023, there have been at least 113 separate Houthi attacks on commercial vessels, resulting in four mariners killed and one seizure of a commercial vessel—actions that have affected over 60 nations, according to the US Department of Transportation. The Houthis assert that their military operations are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and aim to end Israeli attacks on Gazans.
On March 15, US forces unleashed over 40 airstrikes on multiple Houthi-controlled governorates, including Sana’a and Saada. The campaign—targeting radars, air defences, missile systems, and drones—has since expanded, with dozens more airstrikes in the following days.
Houthi officials report over 50 killed and 100 wounded, including women and children. Among the civilian sites allegedly struck a cotton factory in Hodeida, a cancer treatment facility under construction in Saada, and a hijacked cargo ship, the Galaxy Leader.
Yet, the US remains uncompromising.
“The minute the Houthis say, ‘We’ll stop shooting at your ships [and] we’ll stop shooting at your drones,’ this campaign will end but, until then, it will be unrelenting,” said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Not backing down, on March 16, Abdulmalik Al-Houthi vowed a harsh response by targeting US ships in the Red Sea. “If they continue their aggression, we will continue to escalate, “ he said. Within 72 hours, their forces attacked the USS Harry S. Truman —stationed in the Red Sea— four times using a combination of missile and drone strikes.
Then, in a dramatic escalation, the Houthi forces fired hypersonic ballistic missiles at Israel in two separate attacks—a clear signal that the conflict is expanding beyond Yemen’s borders. Although the Israeli army intercepted the missiles, this escalation underscored the Houthis’ intent to project power far beyond their immediate theatre.
Trump has blamed Iran for fuelling the conflict, warning Tehran: “America will hold you fully accountable, and we won’t be nice about it!”.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s internationally recognized government accuses the Houthis of turning the country into an open war zone at Iran’s behest. Moamar Al Eryani, Yemen’s Information Minister, pointed out that events have proven that the Houthis do not care about Yemen’s future and are gambling with the lives of Yemenis in service of Iran’s agenda. He added that the Houthis continue to use war and trade in empty slogans, speeches, and bravado as a means to gain legitimacy, sustain its mobilization and deployment operations, and impose control and expansion at the expense of the security and stability of Yemen and the region—pushing the country into the abyss of a stifling humanitarian crisis.
While the Houthis frame their attacks as a response to Israel’s blockade on Gaza, Yemen itself teeters on the brink of humanitarian catastrophe. According to a recent report by the World Bank, 74% of Yemenis now live below the poverty line.
Analysts warn of fears that the recent airstrikes are a prelude to a ground operation, especially in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, which could further destabilize the region.
The Houthis, known formally as Ansar Allah, are an Islamic group whose ideology is closely aligned with Iran. They consider themselves part of the axis of resistance. Adding to the tension, the US Department of State recently redesignated the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization—underscoring a shift to a long-term military approach rather than a diplomatic one.
With airstrikes intensifying, Houthi retaliation escalating through both missile and ballistic attacks—and now hypersonic strikes on Israel—the risk of Yemen turning into another prolonged warfront, echoing the Gaza conflict, grows by the day. Can the region pull back from the brink? Or is Yemen destined to become the next battleground in an expanding Middle East war?
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