The Battle for the Red Sea: Arabian Elite Forces and the Struggle to End the War in Yemen

by Michael Knights

Overview

The Hodeida campaign is a story of military victories that could not be fully realized because of the global opposition to the completion of the Red Sea liberation battle. Today, with the Houthis threatening global shipping with advanced Iran-provided missiles, the original wisdom of the Hodeida campaign is recognized by growing numbers of analysts, including many who opposed the operations at the time.

Focusing on the battle itself, the diplomatic clashes, and the struggle to tell the truth in the global media, The Battle for the Red Sea covers a war in multiple locations: in Hodeida, the UN and in the White House.

One important aspect of the book will be taking a deep and honest look at the humanitarian concerns around the Hodeida campaign, including critical assessment of whether a famine was likely and what the hidden humanitarian costs of inaction have been since 2018. Would accepting more risk then have saved more lives later?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781805228974
Publisher:	Profile
Publication date:	07/30/2026
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook

About the Author

Dr Michael Knights is a military historian by training, an expert on the Middle East by chance, and a front-line observer of modern warfare by choice. He has a PhD in Iraqi military history from King's College, London, and is the Jill and Jay Bernstein Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute where he specialises in security affairs in Iraq, Iran and the Gulf.

Dr Michael Knights is British-born, a Londoner and an American citizen.

Michael Knights is an unusual mixture of academic, conflict-zone practitioner, and policy advisor to Western governments. He received his PhD on Middle Eastern security for the Department of War Studies, King's College, London and has been an advisor to all the post-9/11 US administrations and a range of European and Arab governments, Michael is a sought-after commentator on Middle Eastern conflict, both by top-tier television, radio and print media.

He has over 25,000 followers on Twitter and regularly publishes widely-read analyses on Middle East security as a senior fellow with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He is the author of a number of books and monographs on the region.