Today’s episode of the MERIP Podcast features a conversation between MERIP executive director James Ryan and Susanne Dahlgren, a longtime MERIP contributor and analyst focused on Yemen whose recent essay, “Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split” appeared in our Current Analysis section on July 8, 2026. 

Last December, the Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council in Yemen briefly expelled Saudi and Saudi-backed militias from the Hadhramaut region, only to retreat in the face of Saudi counteroffensives. The result of this skirmish was the dramatic exit of the UAE from Yemen’s civil war, after over 10 years of involvement. 

Since December, Saudi Arabia has been working to consolidate its control and influence over the varied groups vying for power in the territory of the former South Yemen, on the one hand, and holding secret talks with the Houthis, who hold territory that includes the capital Sana’a, on the other. In her piece, Dahlgren reads these maneuvers as an attempt by the Saudis to establish a modus operandi for managing the conflict from Riyadh and protecting its interests in oil production and shipping.

Then, on July 13, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile attack on Saudi Arabia, which has been followed by drone attacks on oil facilities and attempts to limit shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait. What appeared to be a cooling conflict has heated up again. James Ryan and Susanne Dahlgren discussed why the Houthis re-opened hostilities, what this turn in the saga has meant to Yemenis who are facing an extraordinary food insecurity crisis and what the future holds for a conflict that has yet to find a political path forward. 

Further Reading: 

Susanne Dahlgren, “Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split” Current Analysis, July 8, 2026

Al Ayyam Newspaper 

Yemen Online 

Yemen Monitor