The Iran-backed Houthis signaled Monday they may resume attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, releasing threatening videos as the USS Abraham Lincoln entered the region and President Donald Trump warned that American "fleets" were heading toward Iran.
For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org
The timing is critical: The threats come as a widening rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates fractures what was once a unified coalition against the Houthis, handing Tehran's most effective proxy a strategic advantage precisely when Iranian proxies across the region are mobilizing in anticipation of a potential US-Iran confrontation.
The split has triggered a violent power shift in southern Yemen. In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia has moved to displace UAE-backed forces, deploying its own National Shield Forces and Giants Brigades to assert control over Aden, Hadramaut, and Al-Mahrah—a realignment that has sparked protests, exposed deep divisions, and raised questions about Riyadh's ability to impose lasting security.
The contested transition came into sharper focus Friday as protests erupted in Aden and Mukalla, where supporters of the Southern Transitional Council (STC)—the UAE-backed separatist movement now being sidelined—raised the flag of the former South Yemen state and carried portraits of STC leader Aidarus al-Zoubaidi.
"We are taking part in these demonstrations to reaffirm our support for Aidarus al-Zoubaidi and to reject any attempt to dissolve the Southern Transitional Council or strip us of our right to self-determination and independence for the South," Ali Awas, an Aden resident who joined the rally, told The Media Line.
Yemen's Houthi supporters brandish weapons and shout slogans during a demonstration staged against Israel and the US presid
Continue Reading on The Jerusalem Post
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.