CEP Nonresident Fellow Ari Heistein writes: "Despite rumors of high-level assassinations and the destruction of secret facilities, it is too early to declare the American campaign in Yemen a success. Still, there is reason to believe the Houthis have suffered a significant setback."

CEP Non-Resident Fellow Ari Heistein writes: "Recent reports from the U.S. intelligence community and other sources indicate that Houthi activity along the Horn of Africa is increasing. The northeastern tip of the African continent has long been a hub for trafficking and piracy, but emerging Houthi-al-Shabaab cooperation presents a growing threat to regional stability. This partnership highlights the risk of Sanaa’s collaboration with criminal and terrorist organizations beyond Yemen and, over time, could serve as a model for future Houthi activities abroad."

CEP Non-resident Fellow: "For more than three decades, Oman has served in the role of mediator for the resolution of disputes in Yemen. This began after north and south Yemen unified in the early 1990s, and then Yemen and Oman officially demarcated the contested border between the two countries. Today, however, there is good reason to question whether Oman is in fact a neutral arbiter and whether its current role in the Yemeni arena promotes regional stability."

CEP Non-Resident Fellow Ari Heistein writes: "Some analysts have suggested that assassinating Abdul-Malik al-Houthi would lead to organizational collapse and thereby eliminate the threat. It is common practice, to the point of being cliché, for analysts to make a very generic but concrete policy prescription that boils down to “kill the guy in charge and all your problems with the group are solved.” But the reality is that the Houthi movement has become institutionalized, which makes it more organizationally resilient, and it has not been significantly disrupted by high-level assassinations in the past. So, while eliminating the Houthi leader would be a welcome development, it is unlikely in and of itself to provide a comprehensive solution to the threats posed by the group."