A quick thread on what is happening in and around Yemen and what it (might, maybe, possibly) means.
On Wednesday the Houthis attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, causing light damage to both ships. reuters.com/article/us-yem…
This came as the UN Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths, was in Sanaa meeting with the Houthis. almasdaronline.com/article/100503
The Saudis responded by temporarily halting all oil shipments through the Red Sea.
On Thursday, the Houthis claimed they attacked the airport in Abu Dhabi, which the UAE denies although it does say there was an "incident" at the airport. saba.ye/ar/news503142.…
So, what does this mean? First, as @peterjsalisbury and others have pointed out it is likely bad news for the Hodeidah peace plan that the Special Envoy is currently trying to get the various sides to agree to.
Second, it seems that as the Houthis lose territory or are under threat domestically they will attempt to export attacks throughout the region. This is worrying, as devastating as Yemen's war has been, it has been contained to Yemen.
If the war slips beyond the borders of Yemen it will get much uglier (yes, that is possible) and have a much greater impact on international security. We're not there yet, but we are moving that way.
