Casey Coombs
Verified
Independent journalist focusing on Yemen (mostly the Houthis), where I was based 2012-15.
Articles by Casey Coombs
The Yemen Review Quarterly: October-December 2025
The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council’s (STC) December takeover of Hadramawt and Al-Mahra precipitated a massive shift in Yemen’s political and security landscape. After nearly a month of failed negotiations, Saudi-backed forces counterattacked and, aided by local tribesmen and air support, found quick success. STC-affiliated forces were forced to retreat to Aden before ultimately ceding control of the interim capital. STC leader Aiderous al-Zubaidi has reportedly fled to the UAE.
Politics and Diplomacy
Following women-led demonstrations in Aden and Taiz in May and June, widespread protests erupted in Hadramawt’s capital, Mukalla, on July 28, leading to the storming of a local authority building and the Munawwira electricity plant. The unrest was sparked by severe power outages lasting up to 20 hours a day. Protesters blocked streets, and shops were closed as Hadrami Elite forces fired live rounds to disperse crowds.
The Yemen Review Quarterly: July-September 2025
Executive Summary The Houthi group (Ansar Allah) resumed attacks on Israel on July 6, following a lull during the 12-day Israel-Iran war. Drones and missiles repeatedly targeted Ben Gurion Airport and the southern port city of Eilat, along with energy and military infrastructure across central and southern Israel. On August 22, the group used cluster munitions in a missile warhead for the first time.
Politics and Diplomacy
On May 3, Yemen’s embattled Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak resigned after just over a year in office, following months of clashes with Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief Rashad al-Alimi, as well as other PLC and cabinet members. Finance Minister Salem bin Breik was immediately named as his replacement. Bin Mubarak said his resignation stemmed from his efforts to assert his constitutional authority to overhaul the cabinet, an endeavor which was stymied by the PLC.
The Yemen Review Quarterly: April-June 2025
Executive Summary On May 6, the US abruptly suspended its air campaign against the Houthi group (Ansar Allah) as President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire. Both sides reportedly agreed to stop targeting one another; each, unsurprisingly, declared victory. From its outset, the 52-day-long air campaign known as “Operation Rough Rider” was beset by problems when plans were accidentally leaked to a US journalist.
Politics and Diplomacy
The year-long Houthi (Ansar Allah) campaign of military attacks on Red Sea shipping came to a halt on January 19, following news of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Houthi leader Abdelmalek al-Houthi announced a conditional suspension of the attacks on US- and UK-affiliated shipping as long as Western airstrikes in Yemen ceased. However, the group said Israeli-linked vessels would still be barred from Red Sea transit and threatened to resume attacks if the Gaza ceasefire deal was broken.
The Yemen Review Quarterly: January-March 2025
Executive Summary On March 15, the US launched Operation Rough Rider, a massive expansion of its aerial campaign against the Houthi group (Ansar Allah). The strikes followed a Houthi threat to resume targeting Israeli ships due to the blockade of aid into Gaza on March 2. Strikes have been taking place continuously as of the time of writing.
Houthi Detentions Leave Stark Choices for Aid Sector
On January 23, the Houthi group (Ansar Allah) detained seven UN staff members working in Sana’a.[1] In response, the UN halted the movement of all staff working in Houthi-controlled territories[2] as Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the UN workers’ immediate release.[3] But the incident is just the latest in a string of disappearances and detentions of UN, NGO, and civil society staff in Yemen, who are often held without charge and denied contact with lawyers or family...
Politics and Diplomacy
Houthis Seek to Fill Hezbollah Void, Pressure Riyadh, Stabilize Internal Politics In response to dramatic regional developments stemming from the Gaza war and domestic pressure inside Yemen, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) pivoted on several fronts.
The Yemen Review Quarterly: October-December 2024
Politics and Diplomacy Houthi leader Abdelmalek al-Houthi sought to reposition his movement as the head of the Iran-led Axis of Resistance. Israel’s destruction of Gaza and attacks on Lebanon’s Hezbollah, including the killing of its influential leader, Hassan Nasrallah, have left the alliance weakened, a point underscored by the rapid fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
Politics and Diplomacy - The Yemen Review, - Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies
The Houthi Security and Intelligence Service has continued airing forced confessions by former employees of the US embassy in Sana’a, making increasingly outlandish claims of decades-long US spy operations in the country. The latest episodes, aired June 29, July 14, August 17, and September 1-2, focused on purported efforts to influence Yemeni culture, society, politics, and the education sector. Previous segments detailed alleged efforts to influence Yemen’s economy and agricultural sector.
Child Soldiers in Marib and Shabwa
The prevalence of child soldiers fighting in Yemen’s war has become common knowledge as Houthi (Ansar Allah) forces continue to publicly recruit and deploy children in military operations.[1] Other armed groups in Yemen also recruit minors, although on a smaller scale and in a less public manner.
Ending the Houthi Threat to Red Sea Shipping
Key Points Houthi attacks on shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb and Red Sea represent both an immediate threat to vital American interests in free trade and global commerce and a more general threat to American allies and interests in the Middle East. American air and missile strikes have somewhat diminished the frequency and lethality of Houthi attacks but appear unlikely to end the attacks altogether.
Corruption in Hadramawt’s Electricity Sector
Since the summer of 2019, protests have become a fixture across Hadramawt in reaction to the poor provision of electricity. Although the governorate is far from the frontlines and home to most of the country’s oil reserves, it has not escaped destabilizing aspects of the conflict, including the erosion of the rule of law and the emergence of war profiteering.
Recovering Lost Ground in Shabwa’s Oil Sector
Shabwa’s oil sector has developed in fits and starts. Its first commercially viable oil reserves were discovered in 1987 when the governorate was still part of South Yemen. In 1990, South Yemen united with North Yemen to form the Republic of Yemen, which enlisted foreign energy companies to help develop the nascent oil industry.
Casey Coombs reflects on the early aughts, mommy blogging, and the death of Dooce
Heather’s last words on her blog are powerful in their simplicity, “Oh, this. This is just life. All of this is just a physical reaction to psychological pain.” Sobriety was not some mystery I had to solve. It was simply looking at all my wounds and learning how to live with them.” I’m still figuring it out. I spent so much time angry that I had lost my career as a writer and bitter that I would never be able to live up to what I did during that time, but I am still here, and I am starting over.
The War on Yemen’s Roads
Table of contents Hide Executive Summary Download as PDF Yemen’s limited network of paved highways in the densely-populated western third of the country has been battered and weaponized during eight years of war. At least 100 bridges and approximately one-third of Yemen’s paved roads (between 5,000-6,000 kilometers) have been destroyed in military operations, according to estimates from Houthi authorities in Sana’a and the internationally recognized government in Aden.
The Houthi Jihad Council: Command and Control in ‘the Other Hezbollah’ – Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
Abstract: A fragile U.N.-brokered ceasefire between the Houthis and their military opponents in Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) held from April to October 2022 but has now lapsed. The Houthis hold the key to an enduring ceasefire in Yemen, and can threaten the stability of Red Sea shipping lanes and the security of the United States and its partners in the Middle East.
October 2022 – Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
From the Editor With a truce in Yemen that had lasted six months elapsing in early October, there is concern that Yemen will once again be plunged into civil war and that the Tehran-allied Houthi militants will once again threaten Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with drones and ballistic missiles.
Truce Extended Until October 2
On August 2, the parties to the conflict agreed to a two-month truce extension under the existing terms. The deal comes after intensive shuttle diplomacy by the UN and the US, and the arrival of an Omani delegation to Sana’a on July 31.
Government Instability Overshadows Truce – The Yemen Review, July 2022 - Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies
Long-running tensions between the Islamist Islah party and the Southern Transitional Council boiled over in Shabwa in July, as political disputes over security posts devolved into clashes between their affiliated forces. Government efforts to assuage the parties were unsuccessful, setting the stage for a battle over the capital, Ataq city, in early August.
Presidential Council Replaces Hadi
Developments in Government-Controlled Territory In the early hours of April 7, President Abdo Rabbu Mansour Hadi dismissed Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and then signed over his executive authority to a Presidential Leadership Council (PLC). This transfer of power from Hadi to an eight-man body was announced from Riyadh, where Yemeni parties had gathered for consultations sponsored by the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Ramadan Truce Faces Uphill Struggle - The Yemen Review, March 2022
March saw an escalation in cross-border attacks between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, with Houthi missiles and drones targeting Saudi oil and gas infrastructure, and the kingdom responding with airstrikes on Houthi-held areas in northern Yemen. However, the month ended on a hopeful note, with the warring parties declaring that they were entering, for the first time in more than seven years of war, a nationwide cease-fire.
When Giants Strike – The Yemen Review, January & February 2022 - Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies
This issue of the Yemen Review was prepared by (in alphabetical order): Ryan Bailey, Casey Coombs, Ali Al-Dailami, Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen, Tawfeek Al-Ganad, Andrew Hammond, Khadiga Hashim, Abdulghani Al-Iryani, Maged Madhaji, Farea Al-Muslimi, Elham Omar, Spencer Osberg, Susan Sevareid, Abubakr Al-Shamahi, Ned Whalley and the Sana’a Center Economic Unit.
Houthi Forces Close in on Marib City – The Yemen Review, October 2021 - Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies
The Sana’a Center Editorial Aid Must Do More Good than Harm Many of the challenges facing humanitarian operations in conflict zones today are well known. Any package of assistance must survive the politics of individual donor countries before it even starts the journey down the pipeline to the United Nations and other aid agencies.
How Outsiders Fighting for Marib are Reshaping the Governorate
Marib governorate has emerged as a pivotal battleground between the armed Houthi movement on one hand, and the internationally recognized government and their respective allies on the other. The opposing forces are pressing with all of their might to achieve military victories in Marib, knowing that the outcome of the battle for the governorate holds the potential to decisively change the national balance of power.
New Fronts in the Economic War – The Yemen Review, August 2021 - Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies
The Sana’a Center Editorial Absent Reform, Yemenis Bear Brunt of Government Tariff Hike The internationally recognized Yemeni government’s recent decision to dramatically increase customs tariffs on non-essential goods appears to be spurring price surges for imports across the board.
The View from Sana’a – The Yemen Review, Summer Edition, July 2021 | Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies
Editor’s note: The following is the abridged summer edition of The Yemen Review, which brings readers the essential political, military and economic updates for July. The Review’s regular coverage, including a full roster of features and commentaries, will resume for next month’s issue.
Six tips for planning meals from farmers’ market selections
USDA ARS Being flexible allows you to choose the produce that looks the best and is offered at the best price. Heidi LeBlanc, Casey Coombs | Jun 30, 2021 Farmers markets are known for offering an ever-changing variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Although variety is a benefit of shopping at local farmers markets, it can be difficult and overwhelming to come up with a menu for the week without knowing what will be available at the market.
The Baha'is in Yemen: From Obscurity to Persecution and Exile
Bani Mater, a district some 30 kilometers west of Sana’a, is among the areas in Yemen with a Baha'i presence. Picture here on August 14, 2013 // Photo Credit: Bu Madyan al-Abbasi via Flickr Download as PDF Executive Summary The Baha’i religion is relatively new to Yemen, reaching the coastal regions and Yemeni islands in the mid-19th century.
A Decade After the Uprising – The Yemen Review, March-April 2021 | Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies
The Sana’a Center Editorial Diplomacy May Pause the Fighting; It Cannot Impose the Peace International stakeholders to the Yemen conflict have pursued a rush of diplomatic initiatives in recent months that are unprecedented in the war to date. Consensus among regional and international actors to achieve a cease-fire appears closer now than ever before – with the right efforts made to gain buy-in, this could help create a framework for talks among Yemeni parties focused on ending the ongoing war.
Houthis at the Gates of Marib – The Yemen Review, January-February 2021 - Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies
Download as PDF Contents Yemen at a Glance State of the War The Battle for Marib Other Frontlines Cross-Border Attacks Abyan The Political Arena Developments in Government-Controlled Territory New Security Chief Appointed in Aden Reunified GCC Backs Yemen’s Internationally Recognized Government UN Envoy Travels to Aden STC Leader Reaffirms Secession Goal Cracks Emerge in Aden’s Power-Sharing Government STC Meets with Russian Foreign Ministry Hadrami Tribal Alliance Urges Hadi to Declare...
Three Weeks in a Houthi Prison
On May 15, 2015, I sat between two Yemeni officers in a police truck behind the Criminal Investigation Department in Sana’a. “You’ll be free in two hours,” one of the officers told me as he stared anxiously at the building, which housed a prison run by the US-backed Counter-Terror Unit (CTU).
Al-Mahra: Where Regional Powers Define Local Politics
Aerial view of Damqawt village in Hawf district of Al-Mahra, April 29, 2020. // Sana'a Center photo Editor’s Note: For security reasons, the Sana’a Center is withholding the name of a Yemeni co-author based in Al-Mahra whose research was crucial to this report. Executive Summary Although far from the frontlines of Yemen’s civil war, Al-Mahra governorate remains an important battleground for Gulf powers competing for influence in the conflict.
Stuck in Yemen: A Personal History
“You will not be traveling tomorrow.” That was the last message I received, a week ago, from the International Organization of Migration, which is supposed to be helping Americans get out of Yemen. I was scheduled to leave Sanaa the following day, but I had my doubts. There have been many times I was supposed to leave Yemen: two days ago, a week ago, two weeks ago, and so on. It never happens.
Shabwa: Progress Despite Turmoil in a Governorate of Competing Identities
Analysis Main Publications News The Yemen Review Publications Index Executive Summary Shabwa governorate, perched centrally at the foot of Yemen’s mountainous highlands and stretching to the Gulf of Aden, is at a crossroads of Yemeni identity as well as geography.
Marib: A Yemeni Government Stronghold Increasingly Vulnerable to Houthi Advances
Analysis Main Publications News The Yemen Review October 22, 2020 Reading time: 56 minutes, 42 seconds Executive Summary Marib, a centrally-located governorate connecting Al-Bayda, Shabwa, Hadramawt, Al-Jawf and Sana’a, has undergone a drastic transformation since the war started in 2015, emerging as a booming economic, social, political and military center.
Doctor by day, anti-disinfo warrior by night: fighting Yemen’s Covid-19 crisis
Every morning at 5:30 a.m., Dr. Marwan Al-Ghafory checks into his personal Facebook page. Over coffee, he surveys the latest news and answers questions about the coronavirus pandemic back home in Yemen, posting responses to more than 156,000 followers. Then, after a 10-hour shift at the Catholic Clinic in the western German city of Essen, he logs back in until midnight. “My aim is to warn our society about this pandemic and show them how to defend themselves against it.
In the battles for Al-Jawf and Marib, Houthis weaponize Sana'a-based telecom companies
On Jan. 22, four days after a suspected Houthi missile strike killed more than 110 government soldiers at an army training camp on the outskirts of Marib city, Houthi intelligence officials ordered Yemen’s main telecommunications companies to block internet and mobile phone networks in large swathes of frontline territory northwest of the rebel-controlled capital Sana’a.
In Yemen, the internet is a key front in the conflict
Perched on a remote mountain ridge in Yemen’s southwestern Ibb province, a cluster of white dishes bolted to pipes and tree branches beams wireless internet to thousands of people in the area. Parts of rural Ibb have no fixed telephone lines and limited mobile coverage. In an effort to deliver digital connectivity to his people, Nabil al-Mansouri launched a do-it-yourself wireless business, known as a community network, three years ago.
Nudging Urban Food Pantry Users in Utah Toward Healthier Choices
Akobundo, U. O., Cohen, N. L., Laus, M. J., Schulte, M. J., Soussloff, M. N. (2004). Vitamins A and C, calcium, fruit, and dairy products are limited in food pantries. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 104(5), 811-813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2004.03.009 Google Scholar Ammerman, A. S., Hartman, T., DeMarco, M. M. (2017). Behavioral economics and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Making the healthy choice the easy choice. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 52(2 Suppl.
Exclusive Pics: Inside Yemen's Shadow War
ZINJIBAR, Yemen -- For more than a year, Abyan province has been the epicenter of an intensifying covert war against Ansar al-Shari'a, a new al-Qaida incarnate spreading along the remote shores of the Gulf of Aden in southern Yemen. Hellfire missiles fired from Predator and Reaper drones have killed hundreds of Ansar soldiers since last June when the CIA began flying its fleet of drones from a secret base somewhere on the Arabian Peninsula.
How tech-savvy Iranians got online during the internet blackout
| Technology | 12h ago When Tehran pulled the plug on the internet amid mass protests, tech-savvy engineers scrambled to find connections to the outside world. Iran’s internet blackout was imposed after street protests over the cost of fuel. (AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES) Iranians are no strangers to sporadic internet shutdowns. So when Tehran-based software engineer Amir lost his connection on November 16, he went to bed thinking it would be back online in the morning. It wasn’t.
The Saudi coalition downed a drone in Yemen. Then the accusations flew
| Technology | 14h ago Chinese UAVs sold to Saudi Arabia and others don’t integrate well with existing defense systems—making it tricky to determine whether a drone is friend or foe. A Chinese CH-4 unmanned aerial vehicle at a defense show in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. (BRENT LEWIN/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES) In April, Saudi Arabia’s US-made Patriot missile-defense system successfully shot down a drone from the skies above Yemen’s eastern desert.
With a Fleet of Drones, Amazon Wants To Deliver Packages Within 30 Minutes or Less
Amazon has quietly been building an army of increasingly sophisticated flying robots for years and now the technology is starting to come into focus. With a vast network of retail stores, fulfillment centers, and the deep resources necessary to get such an ambitious business off the literal ground, Amazon is gearing up to dominate the most futuristic corner of the on-demand economy.
How Amazon Stacks the Deck Against Workers Fighting to Keep Their Jobs
Late last year, as Amazon’s stock price crested $2,000 per share, a tech worker named Judy (not her real name) at the company’s Seattle headquarters was given an ultimatum by her manager: get up to speed or take a payout and leave. Incredulous, she marched over to human resources with a stack of glowing performance reviews and emails from her manager that painted a different picture. HR agreed and allowed her to switch teams.
Yemen's UAE-backed forces take on life of their own amid Emirati drawdown
Tensions have escalated between UAE-backed militias and forces loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi UAE soldiers at international airport in southern city of Aden in 2015 (Reuters/File photo) Published date: 9 July 2019 16:44 UTC | Last update: 1 month 1 week ago As the United Arab Emirates draws down its troops in Yemen, UAE-backed southern secessionists are massing in the oil-rich province of Shabwah, escalating tensions with fighters loyal to the country's Saudi-backed President Abd...
The Millions Amazon Spends to Protect Jeff Bezos
© Provided by The Daily Beast Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Daily Beast/Photos Getty Earlier this year, Amazon installed bulletproof panels in founder and CEO Jeff Bezos’ Seattle office, perched in a glittering high-rise on the company’s urban campus. Designed to withstand multiple shots from a military assault rifle, the inch-and-a-half thick fiberglass panels meet the highest level of bullet and blast resistance, according to the manufacturer.
The Millions Amazon Spends to Protect Jeff Bezos
© Provided by The Daily Beast Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Daily Beast/Photos Getty Earlier this year, Amazon installed bulletproof panels in founder and CEO Jeff Bezos’ Seattle office, perched in a glittering high-rise on the company’s urban campus. Designed to withstand multiple shots from a military assault rifle, the inch-and-a-half thick fiberglass panels meet the highest level of bullet and blast resistance, according to the manufacturer.
The Millions Amazon Spends to Protect Its Founder and CEO
Earlier this year, Amazon installed bulletproof panels in founder and CEO Jeff Bezos’ Seattle office, perched in a glittering high-rise on the company’s urban campus. Designed to withstand multiple shots from a military assault rifle, the inch-and-a-half thick fiberglass panels meet the highest level of bullet and blast resistance, according to the manufacturer.
Show More
loading
Actions
Get in touch with Casey
Contact Casey, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack