Iraq’s Shiite leadership has chosen a candidate to lead the next government, but American objections have contributed to stalling the government-formation process. The country’s leaders may turn to creative solutions to navigate the impasse, including declaring the current government an extended caretaker government.
The United Arab Emirates announced the withdrawal of its forces from Yemen after demands for their departure from Saudi and select Yemeni leaders and Saudi airstrikes targeting Yemeni separatist groups. The UAE forces previously served in a counterterrorism capacity as part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as their respective local partners, are renegotiating the balance of power in Yemen after southern separatist forces captured the country’s eastern territory.
Forces aligned with the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which controls much of southern Yemen and advocates for the region’s secession, advanced into key areas in Hadramawt governorate. The STC, which is part of the Internationally Recognized Government (IRG), clashed with rival government forces in the large, resource-rich Yemeni province following rising tensions with a Hadramawt tribal leader, Sheikh Amr Bin Habriesh.
Iraq is embarking on a likely months-long process of government formation after its national election. Sunni and Kurdish leaders will be elected to serve as speaker of the Council of Representatives and president of Iraq, respectively, in accordance with Iraq’s traditional sectarian power-sharing arrangements. The office of the prime minister, who is the head of government, goes to a Shiite leader and will be determined by negotiations within and between the major parties and alliances that emerge post-election.
On November 8, the Houthis announced the arrest of members of an alleged espionage network that they claim was operated by Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Israel. The Yemeni terrorist group accused these individuals of identifying and providing information on sensitive sites and residential areas in Houthi-controlled territory.
Satellite imagery shows an airstrip under construction on Zuqar Island, a strategic location in the Red Sea that is under the control of the National Resistance Forces (NRF), an anti-Houthi partner of the UAE. The UAE has reportedly been behind the development of a series of airstrips across strategic locations in and around the Red and Arabian Seas.
Yemen’s Houthis have indicated that they will stop their attacks on Israel and shipping in international waters as long as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is in place. The group also announced the death of its military chief of staff and provided summary statistics of attacks conducted during the war.
Israel targeted Houthi infrastructure in Sanaa, Yemen, in response to drone attacks on Eilat, Israel. According to the Houthi-controlled health ministry, the strikes killed eight and injured 142.
On September 17, the US State Department designated four Iran-backed Iraqi militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). These groups, previously listed as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), have received support from the regime in Tehran and attacked US forces and interests in Iraq and across the Middle East.
The Houthis have conducted near-daily attacks on Israel throughout September, including launching a drone that struck Ilan and Asaf Ramon International Airport. Israel has responded with frequent strikes in Houthi territory, including one on September 10 that caused significant casualties.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that it killed 12 Houthi political leaders in an assassination strike that targeted a meeting in Sanaa on August 28. The successful attack indicates that the IDF has improved its intelligence efforts in Yemen.
Israel launched attacks against the Houthis’ military and economic infrastructure and attempted assassinations of the group’s key leaders this week. Some sources in Yemen claim that Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al Rahawi was killed, but this information is unconfirmed.
Iraqi and American officials announced that the US-led counter-Islamic State operation in Iraq began its transition to a bilateral security agreement. US forces have begun moving from Iraqi bases as part of the first phase of the shift, which will end “the coalition’s military mission” in the country.
Yemeni forces seized a shipment of weapons that originated in China and was bound for the Houthis, marking the second major weapons interception this summer. The seized shipments indicate the Yemeni terrorist group’s efforts to rearm.
Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia, was involved in a deadly shooting at Iraq’s Ministry of Agriculture on July 27. Despite the support for Iran-backed militias from many Shiite politicians, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al Sudani announced the results of an investigation that found the militia responsible for the incident and recommended consequences.
The Houthis are forcing their ideology into schools and arresting noncompliant teachers. The Iran-backed terrorists have targeted children in the hopes they grow up fully indoctrinated and become loyal Houthi followers.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced American objections to pending Iraqi legislation concerning the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an entity largely composed of pro-Iranian militias. Iraq is attempting to pass a law to protect and legitimize the PMF as an autonomous security organization separate from other government military or security agencies.
The Houthis resumed targeting Red Sea shipping with two attacks on commercial vessels that killed three crew members and injured two more. The Yemeni terrorist group had not targeted commercial shipping in over half a year.
In late June, the US Treasury Department sanctioned the largest group of Houthi-connected entities, individuals, and vessels so far. The action targets oil importations and sales, which are a key revenue source for the Yemeni terrorist group. It is the latest move to limit the Houthis’ finances since the Trump administration re-designated them as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on March 4.
The Houthis threatened to attack US forces after American strikes against Iran. A ceasefire has been in place between the US and the Houthis since May 6, following a seven-week campaign by US Central Command (CENTCOM) against the Yemeni terrorist group.
Yemen’s Houthis have continued their campaign against Israel, but now in coordination with and support of Iran. Other Iranian proxies within the Tehran-led Axis of Resistance have chosen not to involve themselves in the conflict openly and directly, so far. Israel carried out a targeted strike in Yemen in response to Houthi attacks.
Yemeni President Rashad al Alimi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held the first presidential-level meeting between the two countries in recent years. The heads of state discussed bilateral relationships and regional security, but the visit was clouded by Russia’s ongoing friendliness with the Houthis.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani announced the elements of his electoral alliance for Iraq’s November 2025 elections. The coalition includes current and former Shiite politicians as well as Faleh al Fayyadh, a Sudani ally and chairman of the Popular Mobilization Forces.
The Houthis have started rebuilding efforts after significant US and Israeli airstrikes. The terrorist group is extorting the citizens of northern Yemen to fund the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure.
The US and the Houthis entered a ceasefire brokered by Oman on May 6 in which each side agreed not to target the other. However, American and Houthi leaders have made contradictory statements about the circumstances of the ceasefire, each trying to portray it as a sign of the other’s weakness. Israel is not part of the agreement.
Reports are emerging that numerous Iraqi militias are integrating into the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a state institution Iraqi leaders see as a way to ward off pressure from Washington to bring all weapons under the government’s control. However, the PMF is a hotbed for Iranian influence and will only further entrench the Tehran regime in Iraq.
The Houthis have responded to the large-scale operation conducted by US forces with largely unsuccessful attacks against the US Navy and Israel. The group has also issued sanctions against American companies and ordered a boycott of US and Israeli products.
The Coordination Framework, Iraq’s ruling bloc of Shiite political parties, has announced that its members will run on separate lists in Iraq’s November 2025 election and reform the alliance following the vote. Elements of the bloc have disagreed strongly over key issues since the current government’s formation in 2022.
Reports are emerging across Yemeni and global media of an impending ground offensive against the Houthis by a conglomeration of anti-Houthi forces. These potential plans center on the west coast of Yemen, an economic center for the terrorist group.
The Houthis detained at least 75 civilians over concerns that they are providing support to the ongoing US airstrike campaign in Yemen. The Houthis regularly conduct arbitrary detentions, but the total marks a rapid increase since the onset of US strikes.