On Yemen's desert battlefield, a war with global consequences is being waged
A BBC report from the frontlines in Yemen highlights the escalating civil war and its broader regional implications involving Houthi rebels, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. The conflict is increasingly impacting global shipping and regional security.
Why it matters
The situation in Yemen is a critical geopolitical flashpoint that threatens international maritime trade and regional stability in the Middle East.
Image caption, Pro-government commander Tawfiq Al Haboun says the Houthis are heavily armed
It was a journey at high speed through the desert - in a pick-up truck with armed fighters in the back. We were travelling with Yemen's pro-government forces, catching glimpses of the Arabian Sea, and forbidding mountain peaks in the distance. Houthi rebels were dislodged from here just days ago, we were told.
When you are battling over expanses of empty desert, progress can be hard to see. But these soldiers, in Shaab-al-Jinn in Lahj governorate, showed us new sandbagged defences - new lines in the sand.
"There was heavy fighting," said Tawfiq Al Haboun, a bearded commander in camouflage uniform.
"They have snipers, artillery and ballistic missile launchers."
Here in the far corners of the Middle East, a war is being waged with global implications.
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