Hello and welcome to the panel discussion of World Today.
I'm Ding Heng in Beijing.
Yemen is at the center of a new storm threatening a broader regional confrontation.
Over the past month, the conflict in the Middle Eastern country has dramatically escalated.
Hufi forces have surged along Yemen's Red Sea coast and seized the key islands
in the Bab al-Mendab Strait, prompting the Yemeni government to launch counter-offensives.
The conflict has triggered everything from renewed Hufi attacks on Saudi Arabia to the activation of a mutual defense
pact between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan alongside the maneuvering and compromises of major powers.
Why did the fragile ceasefire collapse so completely?
What must be the first step towards a peace that truly belongs to the Yemeni people?
These questions and much more in this edition of the program.
To listen to this episode again or to catch upon on previous episodes,
you can download our podcast by searching World Today.
So joining us now on the line are Dr. Adele Dashala, researcher at the Sana Center for Strategic Studies
and a non-resident fellow at the Finnish Institute in the Middle East,
Greg Barton, professor of global Islamic politics at Deakin University,
and Hussein Asghari, vice president of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden.
So thank you very much for joining us today, Dr. Dashala, Professor Barton, and Hussein Azkari.
Dr. Dashala, to start with you, in your observation,
Why were the Houthis able to capture Yemen's Red Sea coast after launching its military advance in mid-September?