Yemen

Middle East nations cautious as US military presence grows near Iran - analysis

US moves Air Force and naval assets to the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran, while regional allies remain largely silent and take a cautious, wait-and-see approach.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
The world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford seen in the North Sea during NATO Neptune Strike 2025 exercise on September 24, 2025 in the North Sea.
Greek-flagged bulk cargo vessel Sea Champion is docked to the port of Aden, Yemen to which it arrived after being attacked in the Red Sea in what appears to have been a mistaken missile strike by Houthi militia, February 21, 2024.

UK maritime agency says it recieved a report of an incident 70 nautical miles southwest of Yemen

UKMTO added that a vessel was approached and hailed by a white skiff with five persons on board, and that this was followed by an exchange of small-arms fire.

|ByREUTERS
Passengers wait for their flights at Aden Airport in Aden, Yemen January 1, 2026.

US ends temporary protected status for Yemeni nationals

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated that she had "determined that Yemen no longer meets the law's requirements to be designated for Temporary Protected Status."

|ByREUTERS
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to MPs at his party's group meeting in the Turkish parliament on January 21, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey.

Erdogan: Turkey working hard to prevent new Middle East war over US-Iran tensions

Speaking to reporters on a return flight from a visit to Egypt, Erdogan added that talks at the level of the US and Iranian leadership would be helpful after lower-level nuclear negotiations.

|ByREUTERS

Yemen PM Salem bin Breik resigns, Zindani appointed successor

Saba said bin Breik formally submitted the resignation, which was approved by the council, before Zindani was named to form the next cabinet.

JANUARY 15, 2026ByREUTERS
Yemen's presidential leadership council has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Salem bin Breik and appointed Foreign Minister Shaya Mohsen Zindani as the country's new prime minister.

Saudi Arabia pledges $500m over Yemen development projects in areas long-held by UAE, separatists

Riyadh declared the move a threat to its national security, called on the UAE to withdraw, and backed an offensive that swept the STC from power.

JANUARY 15, 2026ByREUTERS
A billboard displays the photo of Aidarous al-Zabidi, the head of Yemen's separatist Southern Transitional Council in Aden, Yemen December 9, 2025.

Maersk navigates Red Sea route again as Gaza ceasefire holds

Danish shipping firm Maersk said on Monday that another of its vessels successfully navigated the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait, weeks after it tested the route

JANUARY 12, 2026ByREUTERS
Maersk container is transported by a train near a port of Barcelona, Spain April 26, 2024.

Wars within wars: Yemen’s battlefield reveals deeper power struggle between Saudi Arabia, UAE

BEHIND THE LINES: In Yemen, Saudi forces reclaim key territories from UAE-backed STC, showcasing the growing rift between Gulf powers over regional influence and governance.

JANUARY 12, 2026ByJONATHAN SPYER
YEMEN’S SOUTHERN Transitional Council will also certainly not abandon its ambition to reestablish south Yemeni independence. Police troopers patrol a street after, according to the Saudi-backed coalition, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of the STC, fled to an unknown destination in Aden, Yemen,

UAE-backed Yemeni Southern Transitional Council denies disbandment rumors

The Southern Transitional Council denied that it was disbanding on Saturday, contradicting a statement by one of its members that the group had decided to dissolve itself.

JANUARY 10, 2026ByREUTERS
A soldier stands guard outside the headquarters of the Southern Transitional Council in Aden, Yemen January 8, 2026.

'Mercenaries for foreigners': Khamenei accuses Iranian protesters of acting on behalf of Trump

The demonstrations, which began in Tehran last month, have spread to all of Iran's 31 provinces but have yet to reach the scale of the 2022-3 unrest sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.

JANUARY 9, 2026ByREUTERS, ALEX WINSTON
IRANIANS GATHER while blocking a street during a protest in Kermanshah, Iran on January 8, 2026.

Saudi Arabia draws red line in Yemen, reasserting Middle East role - analysis

Is it possible that Riyadh’s decision to move quickly to stop the STC in late December was linked to larger strategy issues in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden?

JANUARY 8, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A flag of the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) flutters on a military patrol truck, at the site of a rally by STC supporters in Aden, Yemen, January 1, 2026.

UAE helped separatist leader Zubaidi flee Yemen ahead of peace talks, Saudi coalition says

The head of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council left Yemen by boat for Somaliland, before boarding an aircraft to Mogadishu that was later tracked to an airport in Abu Dhabi.

JANUARY 8, 2026ByREUTERS
Supporters of the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) hold a poster of Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the STC's leader, who, according to the Saudi-backed coalition, fled to an unknown destination, in Aden, Yemen, December 21, 2025.

Israeli officer dumps urine on soldiers' clothes, court martialed by IDF

The IDF responded to the incident, saying, “the grave incident is inconsistent with IDF values and with the standards expected from soldiers and commanders in the IDF.”

JANUARY 8, 2026ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
IDF soldiers seen as part of operations targeting Syrian military capabilities, in northern Israel, January 9, 2025

Southern Yemen leader Zubaidi disappears, resurfaces in Aden after missing Saudi talks

Hours after its leader's unexplained absence, the Southern Transitional Council said he was in Aden overseeing military and security operations.

JANUARY 7, 2026ByREUTERS
Aidarous al-Zubaidi answers a journalist's question during an interview with AFP at the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos on January 18, 2024.