Yemen is once again teetering on the brink of a wider conflict, as military escalation between Yemen's Houthi group and Saudi Arabia threatens to unravel years of relative calm and complicate ongoing efforts led by the United Nations to revive the political process.
The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, claimed to have shot down a Saudi surveillance drone early Tuesday in central Yemen's Bayda Province, following exchanges of cross-border strikes that ended a period of relative calm. Although the attacks have stopped for now, tensions remain high. The Houthis say they will continue efforts to end what it describes as the blockade on the Sanaa International Airport and at Yemen's ports, raising concerns that the conflict could escalate again.
"Our military operations against Saudi airports will continue, escalate, and expand until Saudi Arabia is forced to announce an end to the aggression and the blockade. Our demands are legitimate. They include ending the aggression, lifting the blockade, and withdrawing all foreign forces from Yemen. Keeping the current situation unchanged means the suffering of the Yemeni people will continue," said Mohammed Al-bukhaiti, a member of the Political Bureau of Ansar Allah (Houthis).
Concerns are not limited to continued cross-border strikes, with increasing fears that fighting on the ground could return after reports of military buildups near the Yemen-Saudi border.
Analysts say that a wider conflict could push Yemen back into a more complex phase of the war and undermine the de-escalation that has largely held since the UN-brokered truce in 2022.
"I believe what is happening now is the calm before the storm. Sanaa is continuing its escalation, and all indications point to that, including the ongoing tribal mobilization, military buildups, and Sanaa's repeated statements that it will continue escalating until all forms of the blockade on the Republic of Yemen are lifted. All these factors indicate that a major escalation could take place in the next phase. The situation is dangerous and could turn into serious problems if it is not addressed and political understandings are not reached to end this situation," said Ahmed Al-Mukhtafi, a political analyst. At the same time, the UN is trying to prevent the crisis from worsening, with UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg on Tuesday holding talks in the Omani capital Muscat with Omani officials and the chief Houthi negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam.
The representatives reportedly discussed ways to reduce tensions and restart the political process, including covering military, security, and economic issues, in an effort to keep the chances of a comprehensive peace agreement alive.
Yemen edging closer to wider conflict as Houthis, Saudi Arabia trade strikes
China held a departure ceremony in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, on Saturday to mark the start of its 43rd Antarctic scientific expedition.
Organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the mission will upgrade China's polar research stations and logistics network and carry out comprehensive multidisciplinary surveys and monitoring in Antarctica.
It will also pursue priority research at the frontiers of polar science, test and apply domestically developed equipment, and deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation in science and logistics support.
The expedition is supported by the icebreakers Xuelong and Xuelong 2, along with another vessel. More than 600 team members from over 100 domestic institutions are participating, and the team is expected to return to China in April 2027 after completing its tasks.
Over the past five years, China's Antarctic expeditions have made significant progress on multiple fronts including infrastructure development, independent research and development of scientific research equipment, polar scientific research, and participation in global polar governance.
The Qinling Station, the country's fifth research station in the continent which stands tall on the ice sheet, derives as much as 60 percent of its energy from clean sources, fully embodying China's "green expedition" initiative.
The Zhongshan Station airport -- completed in 2022 and put into operation in 2023 -- ended China's reliance on foreign runways for Antarctic expeditions, enhancing the country's capabilities in comprehensive Antarctic scientific research, international cooperation, and polar emergency response.
The successful testing of domestically developed polar-orbiting satellite communications has broken the long-standing reliance on foreign satellite services, and the independently developed and manufactured Snow Leopard 6×6 wheeled vehicle has been put into service, filling the gap in China's high-speed polar mobility vehicles and significantly enhancing the capabilities for rapid personnel transport, scientific research support, and emergency rescue.
"We have set a new world record for polar hot-water drilling, and led multi-country autumn and winter joint surveys in the Ross Sea and Prydz Bay of Antarctica. China also ranks first globally in both the quantity and quality of published Antarctic research papers," said Long Wei, deputy director of the Polar Expedition Office under the State Oceanic Administration.
Currently, China has initially put in place a comprehensive Antarctic survey and monitoring system with full-season and full-region coverage, supported by coordinated land, sea and air observation.
The system has removed past constraints of single-season, localized and single-site observations. It enables all-weather, integrated monitoring of multiple variables such as the Antarctic ice sheet, atmosphere, ocean, biology and geology, and supplies data for evaluating polar climate change, analyzing Southern Ocean ecological evolution and advancing targeted scientific research.
Antarctic place names serve as a direct reflection of polar research capability and governance influence. So far, 411 names proposed by China have been included by the relevant international organization, marking a significant enhancement of China's research capacity and governance voice in Antarctic geographical naming.
"These endeavors help advance comprehensive knowledge of Antarctic environmental elements and build a solid basis for understanding how Antarctic and global climate change interact," said Long.
China kicks off 43rd Antarctic scientific expedition
