Yemen: Conflict, Red Sea Attacks, and U.S. Policy (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised Oct. 24, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IF12581 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Christopher M. Blanchard |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
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Summary:
Yemen is a conflict-afflicted nation along the strategic Bab
al Mandab Strait, one of the world’s most active shipping
lanes. Since 2015, a civil war has pitted the Iran-backed
Houthi movement against Yemen’s internationally
recognized government, its backers, and other anti-Houthi
forces. Foreign intervention complicates the conflict, which
has contributed to what United Nations agencies have
described as “one of the largest humanitarian crises in the
world.” An uneasy truce has frozen conflict lines since
2022 (Figure 1). The Iran-backed Houthis have launched
numerous attacks on international shipping since October
2023, ostensibly to compel Israel to end its war with
Hamas. U.S.-led coalition patrol operations and
counterstrikes seek to restore security in the Red Sea
corridor, but Yemen’s underlying conflict remains
unresolved and the long-term threats the Houthis could pose
present a vexing challenge for policymakers to consider.
