Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war

Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war
Part of the Yemeni civil war and the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
Date26 March 2015 ongoing
(10 years, 2 months, 3 weeks and 5 days)
  • Operation Decisive Storm
    26 March – 21 April 2015
    (3 weeks and 6 days)
  • Operation Restoring Hope
    22 April 2015 – present
    (10 years, 1 month, 4 weeks and 2 days)
Location
Status Ongoing
Belligerents

Saudi Arabia

The Alliance

   Revolutionary Committee/Supreme Political Council

Allies
  • Iran (alleged by USA, denied by Iran)
    North Korea (according to USA and South Korea)

Al-Qaeda

Commanders and leaders

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Mohammed bin Salman
Fahd bin Turki Al Saud (2015–20)
Mutlaq bin Salem bin Mutlaq Al-Azima


Rashad al-Alimi (2022–)
Mohammed al-Maqdashi
Gen. Ali al-Ahmar

Former Leaders

  Mohammed Ali al-Houthi
  Mohamed al-Atifi (2016–)
  Mahdi al-Mashat (2018–)
  Saleh Ali al-Sammad  (2015–18)
  Hussein Khairan (2015–16)
  Abdul-Malik al-Houthi


Khalid Batarfi
Ibrahim al Qosi
Strength
100 warplanes and 150,000 troops (2015)
2,500 troops (2024)
The Alliance
  • 30 warplanes and 15,000 troops
    4 warplanes and 15,000 troops
    15 warplanes 300 troops
    15 warplanes
    10 warplanes, 1,000 troops (until 2017)
    4 warships and warplanes
    6 warplanes
    6 warplanes, 1,500 troops
    2,100 troops (soldiers not yet deployed in 2016)
    Academi: 1,800 security contractors

 150,000–200,000 fighters
200,000–250,000


AQAP

Casualties and losses

1,000–3,000 soldiers killed by 2016;
10 captured
108–130 soldiers killed
1,000 - 4,000 soldiers killed
15 soldiers killed
1 F-16 crashed
4 soldiers killed
10 soldiers killed
1 F-16 shot down
1 F-16 lost
Academi: 71 mercenaries killed

Unknown

Thousands killed (Aljazeera; as of May 2018) 11,000+ killed (Arab Coalition claim; as of Dec. 2017)


Al-Qaeda
  • AQAP 1,000 killed, 1,500 captured

On 26 March 2015, Saudi Arabia, leading a coalition of nine countries from West Asia and North Africa, launched a military intervention in Yemen at the request of Yemeni president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who had been ousted from the capital, Sanaa, in September 2014 by Houthi insurgents during the Yemeni civil war. Efforts by the United Nations (UN) to facilitate a power sharing arrangement under a new transitional government collapsed, leading to escalating conflict between government forces, Houthi rebels, and other armed groups, which culminated in Hadi fleeing to Saudi Arabia shortly before it began military operations in the country.

The first month of the intervention, codenamed Operation Decisive Storm (Arabic: عملية عاصفة الحزم, romanized: Amaliyyat 'Āṣifat al-Ḥazm), consisted of airstrikes on Houthi rebels and a full blockade On 22 April, the Saudi-led coalition declared that it had achieved its initial goals and announced Operation Restoring Hope, which would comprise a "combination of political, diplomatic and military action" while continuing "to prevent the Houthi militias from moving or undertaking any operations inside Yemen". Ground forces were subsequently deployed into the country as part of a broader offensive against both Houthi militants and loyalists of Hadi's predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Owing to Iran's support of these factions, the conflict is widely regarded as part of the broader Saudi-Iran proxy conflict.

Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates provided air and ground forces, while Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Constellis headed several ground operations. Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia opened their airspace, territorial waters, and military bases to coalition forces. At varying stages, the intervention was backed by the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Canada. The U.S. provided intelligence and logistical support, such as aerial refueling and search-and-rescue for downed coalition pilots, accelerated the sale of weapons to coalition states, and continued strikes against AQAP. In 2016, American and British military officials were confirmed to have provided advice and training related to Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen.

The intervention was criticized for killing thousands of noncombatants, destroying civilian infrastructure, and intensifying Yemen's humanitarian crisis. Academics also dispute whether it violates Article 2(4) of the UN Charter. By 2019, the conflict was reported as a "military stalemate", and the following year, Saudi Arabia declared its first unilateral ceasefire. On 29 March 2022, the Saudi-led coalition announced that it would cease all hostilities within Yemen to facilitate political talks and peacekeeping efforts; Houthi and Saudi officials subsequently began bilateral peace talks mediated by Oman under UN auspices, and most restrictions on commercial goods were lifted by April 2023. As of April 2024, open hostilities have largely ceased, though negotiations are ongoing due to complications caused by Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping since October 2023.