← Back to Documents
IF12581.17.pdf
Path: /Users/duboy/side/case3/example-pdfs/IF12581.17.pdf
Title: Navigating Turbulent Waters: Yemen's Conflict, Red Sea Security, and Global Implications
Description: Delve into the complexities of Yemen's ongoing conflict, tangled foreign interventions, and the threat the Iran-backed Houthis pose to maritime security and regional stability. Explore the power struggles, shifting alliances, and diplomatic efforts as global powers navigate the treacherous waters of the Red Sea.
Status:
finished
Pages: 3
Uploaded:
2026-03-02 11:51
Last Processed: 2026-03-02 11:51
Chunks (13)
Congressional Research Service
a
= Informing the legislative debate since 1914
Updated February 20, 2026
Yemen: Conflict, Red Sea Security, and U.S. Policy
Yemen is a conflict-afflicted nation alo...
fact:
Yemen is a conflict-afflicted nation along the strategic Bab al Mandab Strait, one of the world’s most active shipping lanes.
fact:
Since 2015, a civil war has pitted the Iran-backed Houthi movement against Yemen’s internationally recognized government, the government’s foreign backers, and other anti-Houthi forces.
fact:
An uneasy truce has frozen conflict lines since 2022.
forces expanded strikes against
the Houthis seeking to compel a lasting end to Houthi
maritime attacks. The U.S. campaign ended under an
agreement brokered by neighboring Oman in which the
Houthis agr...
Saudi Arabia
accused the United Arab Emirates of providing military
support to the STC, and remaining UAE forces left Yemen. Yemen’s underlying conflict is unresolved. The Houthis
pose enduring threat...
context:
Yemen: Conflict, Red Sea Security, U.S. Policy, and Ongoing Tensions
context:
Yemen: Conflict, Red Sea Security, and U.S. Policy
fact:
Saudi Arabia accused the United Arab Emirates of providing military support to the STC, and remaining UAE forces left Yemen.
fact:
Long-running Yemeni disputes over governance and energy resources have deepened since 2015 amid foreign influence and intervention.
fact:
The Republic of Yemen was formed by a 1990 merger of the Sana’a-led Yemen Arab Republic (a former Ottoman province, then Zaydi Shia-ruled kingdom, “North Yemen’) and the Aden-led People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (a former British colony and Marxist regime, “South Yemen”).
fact:
North-south tensions and conflict have recurred since the 1960s, and the STC leveraged some southerners’ continuing demands for independence.
fact:
Tribal networks and local actors are the most influential parties in many areas.
In 20212, Arab Spring-era protests and unrest prompted the
president of the Republic of Yemen Government
(ROYG) to resign. A UN-mediated transition and national
dialogue sought to broker new governing...
Power-sharing agreements in 2020 and 2022 brought anti-
Houthi forces together under a coalition. An STC offensive
on ROYG-aligned forces in December 2025 and Saudi
military intervention resulted in t...
fact:
Yemen's underlying conflict remains unresolved.
fact:
In 2012, Arab Spring-era protests and unrest prompted the president of the Republic of Yemen Government (ROYG) to resign. A UN-mediated transition and national dialogue sought to broker new governing arrangements. The Houthi movement (alt. Ansar Allah or Partisans of God), a north Yemen-based Zaydi Shia network, opposed UN-backed outcomes and resumed an insurgency. In 2014, the Houthis seized the capital, Sana’a, and later advanced on Aden. ROYG leaders fled and sought international intervention. In March 2015, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia began a military campaign against the Houthis. Houthi attacks across Yemen’s borders grew in complexity and scope with deepening support over time from Iran. The United States provided logistical, intelligence, and advisory support to the coalition, but ended aerial refueling in 2018 and later curtailed some arms sales to Saudi Arabia in response to civilian casualties and congressional action. Power-sharing agreements in 2020 and 2022 brought anti-Houthi forces together under a coalition. An STC offensive on ROYG-aligned forces in December 2025 and Saudi military intervention resulted in the STC’s dissolution and changes in the makeup of the ROYG’s eight-person Presidential Leadership Council (PLC). The ROYG also expanded and reshuffled its cabinet. Saudi Arabia is now the ROYG’s principal sponsor and security partner as the ROYG and former STC members consider next steps. Conflict Status and U.S. Diplomacy
The Houthis continue to consolidate control
in the north having demonstrated their capacity to threaten
international shipping, Israel, and other regional states. The Trump Administration has taken mi...
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans
Grundberg engages Yemeni and regional actors in efforts
“aimed at advancing dialogue and de-escalation.”
https://crsreports.congress.gov Yemen: Conflict, Red Sea Secur...
context:
Yemen: Conflict, Red Sea Security, and U.S. Policy
The World Food Programme (WFP)
reportedly is ending its operations in Houthi-controlled
northern Yemen given security risks and funding cuts. Counterterrorism
Insecurity in Yemen creates opportunitie...
forces began a military campaign the
Administration intended to compel the Houthis to end their
attacks and eliminate their capability to threaten maritime
CRS, using ACAPS, Humanitarian Access Overv...
Foreign support and accumulated expertise may allow the
Houthis to pose enduring maritime security risks. U.S. sanctions target the group’s far-reaching networks. U.S. officials have described Iran’s ...
fact:
The Iran-backed Houthis launched numerous attacks on international shipping from October 2023 to December 2024, before pausing these attacks in early 2025. The Houthis renewed attacks on some non-U.S. ships in July 2025 and continued to launch long-range strikes against targets in Israel, ostensibly to compel Israel to end its war with Hamas. The Houthis suspended their attacks after the October 2025 Israel-Hamas ceasefire, but have signaled their willingness to relaunch attacks if war resumes in Gaza. The Administration intended to compel the Houthis to end their attacks and eliminate their capability to threaten maritime transit. The Houthis resisted, attacked U.S. Navy ships, and shot down U.S. unmanned aircraft. A U.S.-Houthi truce has held since May 2025, but Houthi attacks on Israel were not suspended until October 2025. In June, U.S. CENTCOM stated that “only through a whole of government approach, of which military operations are a key component, will a sustained return of freedom of navigation be guaranteed.” UN Security Council Resolution 2722 (2024) demands the Houthis cease attacks, and, in January 2026, the Council extended related reporting provisions until July 2026. Foreign support and accumulated expertise may allow the Houthis to pose enduring maritime security risks.
fact:
The Houthis pose enduring threats to shipping, Israel, and other regional states, as well as to U.S. partners. The Houthis continue to consolidate control in the north having demonstrated their capacity to threaten international shipping, Israel, and other regional states. The Trump Administration has taken military action against the Houthis and redesignated the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in March 2025. The Trump Administration has supported the UN Security Council’s decision to end the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA), a December 2018 ceasefire agreement that halted fighting over Yemen’s Houthi-held Red Sea ports. In January 2026, Deputy U.S. Representative to the UN Tammy Bruce said “the Security Council should concentrate its efforts on depriving the Houthis of resources to conduct their terrorist activities.”
fact:
The government and the Houthis manage complex ties with diverse groups to maintain power. Foreign support and accumulated expertise may allow the Houthis to pose enduring maritime security risks. U.S. sanctions target the group’s far-reaching networks. U.S. officials have described Iran’s efforts to supply the Houthis with weaponry, targeting information, and military advice.
Members also may conduct oversight of related military or
diplomatic initiatives by the Trump Administration. The
2026 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 119-60)
authorizes the U.S. military to ...
Policy
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates sole...
However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted m...