2023 in Yemen

← 2022 2021 2020 2023 in Yemen → 2024 2025 2026
Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2023 History of Yemen Timeline Years

Events in the year 2023 in Yemen .

Incumbents

Aden government

Photo	Post	Name
	Chairman of Presidential Leadership Council	Rashad al-Alimi
	Prime Minister of Yemen	Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed

Sanaa government

Photo	Post	Name
	Leader of Ansar Allah	Abdul-Malik al-Houthi
	Chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee	Mohammed al-Houthi
	Chairman of the Supreme Political Council	Mahdi al-Mashat
	Prime Minister of Yemen	Abdel-Aziz bin Habtour

Events

Ongoing — COVID-19 pandemic in Yemen — The Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict (since 2015) — The Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) - Houthi involvement in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war

• 21 January – Six people are injured after a bomb explodes in al-Majaza, Shabwah Governorate. ^[1]
• 21 March – Ten Yemeni soldiers are killed by Houthi Islamists in Harib District, Marib Governorate, despite a truce reached between the government and the rebels on Monday. ^[2]
• 28 March – Six Houthis and five Yemeni soldiers are killed during clashes in government-controlled Lahj Governorate. ^[3]
• 14 April – A major prisoner swap begins between rival factions in Yemen as a first flight between Houthi-controlled Sanaa and government-controlled Aden saw nearly 900 prisoners freed. ^[4]
• 19 October – In the Red Sea, the United States Navy destroyer USS Carney uses SM-2 missiles to shoot down three cruise missiles and eight drones launched by Houthi forces in Yemen. The Pentagon says that the missiles and drones were "potentially headed towards Israel". ^[5]
• 8 November – A United States Air Force MQ-9 Reaper is shot down in international airspace off the coast of Yemen. The Iran-backed Houthis claim responsibility for the shooting. ^[6]
• 19 November –
  • The Houthi movement hijacks a British cargo ship operated by a Japanese company and partially owned by an Israeli businessman in the Red Sea. 25 people are on board from different nationalities, including Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Filipinos, and Mexicans. ^[7]
  • On the group's Telegram channel, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree declares their intention to target ships owned or operated by Israeli companies, or carrying the Israeli flag. ^[7]
• 10 December – French Navy frigate Languedoc shoots down two drones over the Red Sea that were launched from Yemen, according to the French Armed Forces Ministry. ^[8]
• 14 December – Maersk calls for "political action" after a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen narrowly misses one of their container ships in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. An unknown vessel claiming to be from the Yemeni Navy also ordered the ship to sail towards the Yemeni coast. ^[9]
• 15 December –
  • Two Liberian-flagged vessels in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait are attacked with drones and ballistic missiles launched by Houthi militants in Yemen, causing a fire on one of the ships. No injuries are reported. ^[10]
  • Shipping firms Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk announce a suspension of all container shipments through the Red Sea until further notice amid Houthi attacks on commercial vessels. ^[11]
• 16 December – The Royal Navy's HMS Diamond shoots down a drone launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen over the Red Sea using a Sea Viper missile. ^[12]
• 18 December –
  • A Norwegian-owned tanker en route to Réunion, M/V Swan Atlantic, is attacked in the Red Sea with the owner of the ship saying that the ship was hit by an "unidentified object" that struck its port side causing a small fire but no injuries. ^[13]
  • British multinational oil and gas company BP suspends all shipments through the Red Sea in response to an increase in Houthi attacks on commercial vessels. ^[14]
  • U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announces a coalition of ten nations, called Operation Prosperity Guardian, to enforce security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid Houthi attacks. ^[15]
• 21 December – At least 10 more nations, including Australia and Greece, join the United States-led Operation Prosperity Guardian task force to counter Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. ^[16]
• 23 December – United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg announces that the conflicting parties agree to a new ceasefire and to participate in a UN-led peace process. ^[17]
• 31 December – Ten Houthi militants are killed during an engagement between four Houthi boats and United States Navy helicopters defending the cargo ship Maersk Hangzhou in the Red Sea. ^[18]

Deaths

• 6 January – Sadiq al-Ahmar, 66, Yemeni politician and tribal leader, MP (1993–2011), cancer. ^[19]
• 10 August – Abdullatif Al-Sayed, 50–51, Yemeni military officer, roadside blast. ^[20]

References

1. "Bomb blast injures 6 soldiers in Yemen's Shabwa". Middle East Monitor. 22 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
2. "At least 10 soldiers killed in Yemen as renewed fighting hinders peace efforts". France 24. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
3. "11 killed in clashes between Yemeni gov't forces, Houthis-Xinhua". english.news.cn. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
4. "Major Yemen prisoner swap under way as first plane leaves". France 24. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
5. "US Navy destroyer in Red Sea shoots down cruise missiles potentially headed toward Israel: Pentagon". Yahoo News. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
6. "U.S. MQ-9 Drone shot down off the coast of Yemen - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
7. "Israel: Iran behind Yemen's Houthis seizure of ship in Red Sea". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
8. "French warship shoots down two drones coming from Yemen". Reuters. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
9. Altman, Howard (14 December 2023). "Maersk Demands "Political Action" After Another Houthi Attack On Ship In Red Sea". The Drive. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
10. "2 attacks launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels strike container ships in vital Red Sea corridor". AP News. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
11. "Shipping firms suspend Red Sea traffic after Yemen rebel strikes". France 24. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
12. Gecsoyler, Sammy (16 December 2023). "UK and US navy vessels shoot down suspected attack drones in Red Sea". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 18 December 2023.
13. Britzky, Haley (18 December 2023). "US warship responds to an attack on commercial ship in Red Sea | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
14. "BP pauses all Red Sea shipments after rebel attacks". BBC News. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
15. Britzky, Michael Callahan, Haley (18 December 2023). "Austin announces US-led security operation focusing on Red Sea, Gulf of Aden after Houthi attacks on commercial shipping | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
16. Lu, Christina (27 December 2023). "The Red Sea Crisis, Explained". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
17. Osseiran, Hashem. "Yemen warring parties agree to ceasefire, UN-led peace process". Philstar.com. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
18. "US army attacks three Houthi boats in Red Sea, killing at least 10 fighters". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
19. نيوز, عدن (6 January 2023). "عاجل.. وفاة الشيخ صادق الأحمر بعد معاناة مع المرض". عدن نيوز (in Arabic). Retrieved 6 January 2023.
20. "Yemeni military leader dies in Al-Qaeda roadside blast". Arab News. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.