Yemen's Houthi movement fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia on August 6-7, wounding 11 civilians, while separate Houthi missile and drone strikes on Yemeni government forces killed at least 58 troops, the deadliest attacks in years; Al Jazeera said Saudi Arabia had braced for attacks and that tensions between the Houthis and the kingdom had risen since the US-Israel war on Iran began; SCMP called it one of the deadliest escalations since a Houthi truce with the Saudi-backed government
Saudi Arabia hosted a founding meeting in Riyadh on July 30 and announced a multinational maritime defence coalition to protect the Bab al-Mandab strait and Red Sea shipping; 14 nations signed up at the first meeting, while Saudi Arabia has proposed expanding the alliance to 43 members; the coalition aims to protect shipping lanes under renewed Houthi attacks that have pushed oil prices higher
Saudi Arabia announced July 30 in Riyadh that 14 countries have signed on to a new multinational maritime defence coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden; the Riyadh-headquartered coalition is the first formal multilateral security structure Saudi Arabia has established to counter Houthi attacks on commercial vessels, and Riyadh is seeking to expand membership to 43 nations
Yemen's Houthi movement attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and off the United Arab Emirates coast on or around July 27; Singapore's Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks, and oil prices fell sharply as traders weighed the strikes against the broader pause in US-Iran hostilities
The Houthi group declared an immediate maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia on July 20, citing what it called an unjust Saudi siege on Yemen, a move that analysts say threatens Saudi oil export routes and draws the Houthi conflict closer to the global energy market
Yemen's internationally recognised government said on July 13 it struck the runway at Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing; the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of the strike and fired missiles at southern Saudi Arabia in retaliation, breaking the 2022 ceasefire between the two sides; Saudi Arabia said it intercepted the missiles; the UN warned Yemen risks full-scale conflict
Armed attackers in a skiff traded gunfire with security guards aboard a bulk carrier off Houthi-controlled Hodeidah on July 5; UKMTO advised all ships to transit with caution as the attack ended a roughly three-month commercial shipping ceasefire
The 29-kilometre chokepoint between Yemen and Djibouti carrying 12% of global maritime trade, where Houthi attacks since 2023 halved oil transit and redrawn Asia-Europe shipping routes.
Yemen's civil war, running since 2014, pits Houthi rebels against a Saudi-led coalition across a country with more than 23 million people in humanitarian need.
Half the population faces hunger and 450+ health facilities have closed on funding cuts; regional escalation drives up fuel and food prices and threatens Gulf support Yemen depends on
Three months of quiet on commercial vessels is a 'structured pause under tension,' not a truce; the group says it will resume and could close the strait if the US-Iran war restarts