Houthi-Saudi conflict

Introduction & Top Questions
Saudi intervention in the Yemeni Civil War (2015–22)
- Houthi rebels keep their grip in the north as Yemen falls into humanitarian despair
- Hodeidah and the Saudis’ last attempt at victory
- Saudi Arabia shifts into defense
- Ceasefire and negotiations
Regional conflict (2023–26)
- Houthi fighters disrupt Red Sea shipping
- Saudi Arabia reenters the conflict in Yemen
- The fight over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait
Background

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Towering flames and thick black smoke rise beside storage tanks at Saudi Aramco's Riyadh refinery as firefighters spray water on the blaze.

Map of Yemen showing international boundaries, major cities including Sanaa, Aden, and Al-Mukalla, and neighboring countries Saudi Arabia and Oman. The map also includes parts of the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and nearby countries Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, with a locator inset highlighting Yemen's position in the Middle East.

Yemeni men search through rubble and debris of destroyed buildings and vehicles in Sanaa after airstrikes, with damaged structures and a crowd visible in the background.

Houthi fighters in Sanaa

World map comparing two shipping routes from Dalian, China, to Rotterdam, Netherlands: the Suez Canal route, shown in blue, passing through the Strait of Malacca, Red Sea, and Mediterranean Sea, covering about 11,000 nautical miles and taking 48 days; and the alternate route, shown in red, traveling around the Cape of Good Hope at Africa's southern tip, covering about 14,500 nautical miles and taking 57 days.

Map showing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, with surrounding countries Yemen to the northeast, Djibouti to the south, and Eritrea to the northwest. The map labels key locations including Mokha, Dhubab, Ta'izz, and Aden in Yemen; Djibouti city in Djibouti; Assab in Eritrea; and features islands such as Perim (Mayun), Greater Hanish, Lesser Hanish, and Jabal Zuqar. A small inset globe shows the strait's location at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stand holding documents after signing the Mecca Pact in a formal room with gold curtains.

Hussein Badr al-Din al-Houthi

Ali Abdullah Saleh, president of Yemen, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and red patterned tie, poses and smiles slightly in a formal setting.

Houthi-Saudi conflict: Media

Middle Eastern history

Images

Towering flames and thick black smoke rise beside storage tanks at Saudi Aramco's Riyadh refinery as firefighters spray water on the blaze.

Houthi attack on Saudi Aramco, October 3, 2026

An oil facility in Saudi Arabia belonging to Saudi Aramco was attacked by Houthi...

© AFP/Getty Images

Map of Yemen showing international boundaries, major cities including Sanaa, Aden, and Al-Mukalla, and neighboring countries Saudi Arabia and Oman. The map also includes parts of the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and nearby countries Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, with a locator inset highlighting Yemen's position in the Middle East.

Yemen

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Yemeni men search through rubble and debris of destroyed buildings and vehicles in Sanaa after airstrikes, with damaged structures and a crowd visible in the background.

Air strike in Houthi-held Sanaa from the Saudi-led coalition

Yemeni men searching the rubble of buildings in Sanaa, Yemen's capital, after air...

© Mohammed Hamoud—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Houthi fighters in Sanaa

Houthi fighters in Sanaa

Rebel fighters of the Houthi movement in Yemen raising their weapons and shouting...

© Hani Al-Ansi—dpa picture alliance/Alamy

World map comparing two shipping routes from Dalian, China, to Rotterdam, Netherlands: the Suez Canal route, shown in blue, passing through the Strait of Malacca, Red Sea, and Mediterranean Sea, covering about 11,000 nautical miles and taking 48 days; and the alternate route, shown in red, traveling around the Cape of Good Hope at Africa's southern tip, covering about 14,500 nautical miles and taking 57 days.

Disruption in global shipping from Houthi attacks

Commercial ships avoiding Houthi attacks on the Red Sea require nine additional days...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map showing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, with surrounding countries Yemen to the northeast, Djibouti to the south, and Eritrea to the northwest. The map labels key locations including Mokha, Dhubab, Ta'izz, and Aden in Yemen; Djibouti city in Djibouti; Assab in Eritrea; and features islands such as Perim (Mayun), Greater Hanish, Lesser Hanish, and Jabal Zuqar. A small inset globe shows the strait's location at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

Bab el-Mandeb Strait

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stand holding documents after signing the Mecca Pact in a formal room with gold curtains.

Mecca Joint Defense Agreement: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mohammed bin Salman, and Shehbaz Sharif

(From left) Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,...

© TUR Presidency/Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Handout—Anadolu/Getty Images

Hussein Badr al-Din al-Houthi

Hussein Badr al-Din al-Houthi

Once a member of the Yemeni parliament, Hussein Badr al-Din al-Houthi was a Zaydi...

CPA Media Pte. Ltd./Alamy

Ali Abdullah Saleh, president of Yemen, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and red patterned tie, poses and smiles slightly in a formal setting.

Ali Abdullah Saleh

Yemeni Pres. Ali Abdullah Saleh, 2004.

Paolo Cocco—AFP/Getty Images

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