Yemen’s Prime Minister resigns

Yemen’s Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak announced his resignation on Saturday, citing mounting political challenges and an inability to implement crucial government reforms.

In a statement released from the southern port city of Aden, where Yemen’s internationally recognized government is based, Mubarak said he had faced “many difficulties,” including persistent roadblocks that prevented him from reshuffling his cabinet and improving governance.

His resignation comes at a time of heightened instability in Yemen, where the Iran-aligned Houthi movement controls large swathes of the north, including the capital Sana’a. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war last year, the Houthis have launched repeated missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and commercial shipping routes in the Red Sea, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

In response, Israeli forces, alongside U.S. and British military assets, have carried out strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen, further entangling the war-torn nation in regional hostilities. The escalating confrontation has raised fears of a wider conflict across the Middle East, with Yemen increasingly caught in the crossfire.

Analysts say Mubarak’s departure could further weaken Yemen’s internationally backed government, already struggling to assert its authority in the face of Houthi advances and widespread economic hardship.

There are growing concerns that the power vacuum could embolden the Houthis or other armed groups, complicating efforts to negotiate an end to the country’s nearly decade-long civil war.

No successor has been named yet, and it remains unclear how the resignation will impact ongoing diplomatic efforts mediated by the United Nations to broker a lasting peace between the rival factions.

The situation also underscores Yemen’s deepening isolation as it grapples not only with internal divisions but also with becoming a battleground in the broader geopolitical struggle between Iran and its adversaries.