Five years after Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen’s civil war, leading a military coalition to prop up the government which had been driven out of its capital, the Huthi rebels are only stronger, more resilient and gaining ground. The Iran-aligned insurgents’ capabilities have developed in the past year, with attacks on strategic targets in Yemen and neighbouring Saudi Arabia using sophisticated drones. Experts say that pressure on the Saudis to reduce civilian casualties in air strikes, a drawdown by their coalition partner the United Arab Emirates’ in mid-2019, and rifts within the government camp, have strengthened the rebels’ resolve.
