Has Yemen returned to ‘full-scale war’?

Fighting continues to intensify in Yemen as the internationally recognised government forces push a military offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis, an armed group also known as Ansar Allah, which controls part of the country. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council on Friday, the UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said the country has effectively slid back into “full-scale war”. Government forces are particularly looking to retake the important Bab al-Mandeb strait at the entrance to the Red Sea, a vital trading chokepoint that has become an important alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian attacks have all but halted shipping.