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World at War

Yemen Conflict

2014 – ongoing Middle East Status: active Casualties: 380,000+ cumulative

Civil war since 2014 with a fragile truce from 2022. Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping have caused a global maritime crisis; U.S. and UK strikes continue intermittently.

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Belligerents

  • Houthi movement
  • Yemeni government
  • Saudi-led coalition
  • UAE

Casualties

380,000+ cumulative

Key events

  • 2014 — Houthis seize Sanaa
  • 2015 — Saudi-led intervention
  • 2019 — Abqaiq attack halves Saudi output briefly
  • 2023– — Red Sea shipping crisis

Aftermath

Houthi Red Sea attacks have re-routed ~60% of Asia–Europe shipping around Africa, adding ~10 days and billions in costs. Iranian regional proxy network demonstrated reach. Saudi reputational damage; partial pivot to detente with Iran (2023). Yemen remains effectively partitioned.

Weapons & matériel

  • Saudi/UAE: F-15s, precision-guided bombs (US/UK supplied)
  • Houthis: Iranian-supplied ballistic missiles & drones, naval mines
  • Anti-ship missiles vs Red Sea shipping (2023–)

Technology

Houthi drone/missile program, supplied & advised by Iran, has reached Saudi oil infrastructure (Abqaiq 2019) and Red Sea shipping

Economy

Famine-level food insecurity for 17M people; cholera epidemic infected 2.5M+

Cost

Saudi war spending: ~$5–6B/month at peak. Yemen GDP halved

Sources

  • UN Panel of Experts on Yemen
  • ACLED
  • Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies
From World at War, an interactive atlas by Jairus Pereira. Figures are approximate, drawn from Wikipedia, UCDP, ACLED and academic sources — a design artefact, not an authoritative register. Contact.