Yemen: Months have passed since the United States withdrew from its war on Yemen, but this does not mark an end — rather, it signals the start of a new era of confrontation on multiple fronts, especially given that America has, for decades, excelled in waging proxy wars and soft warfare.

Over the past decade, Washington’s influence in the region has steadily eroded, with the most glaring example being the defeat of its agents in Yemen. This setback plunged the Americans into internal turmoil, pushing them to enter the battlefield directly as a “bogeyman” meant to frighten the simple-minded — from children to rulers of the same ilk.

The US goal was to rally the scattered remnants of its agents and proxies across the region. But the Yemeni people were prepared, waiting eagerly to make their arch-enemy taste the same bitterness they had endured throughout the US-Saudi aggression.

When the US finally stepped in, it was stunned by what the global arrogance system had never imagined. Even its fiercest critics were surprised by the scale of US losses in regional waters: massive aircraft carriers struck, warplanes shot down, and warships sunk one after another. This forced Washington to withdraw its remaining naval vessels — damaged and intact alike — fleeing in haste.

With no cards left to play, the US was compelled to acknowledge defeat in the face of Yemeni resilience, bowing reluctantly and pinning its final hopes on striking a deal to exit a battlefield where its back had been broken.

This came after Washington had openly entered the fray, brandishing its weapons to protect Israeli vessels in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea from what it calls “the Houthis.”

Following what it called the greatest defeat in its history, Gulf regimes rushed to console the Americans, acting in a manner befitting those who treat Washington as a deity — rulers convinced that America is an untouchable power.

Yet, the US military defeat does not mean it will leave the arena uncontested. We must remember how it advanced in Syria — using Gulf money to fuel division, coupled with diplomatic deception and media disinformation — a strategy it may now recycle in an effort to undermine the region’s resistance movements.

One such move is the entry of Starlink, the satellite internet project by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, into Yemen — making it the first Middle Eastern country in which it operates. While marketed as a tool for global connectivity, analysts warn it could serve as a platform for cyber espionage, surveillance, and digital warfare. Operating independently of national infrastructure, Starlink is difficult for governments to regulate or monitor, raising serious security, legal, and privacy concerns.

Yemen’s Ministry of Telecommunications has condemned Starlink’s unlicensed operation, calling it a direct threat to national security. Observers suspect it is part of a US-Israeli strategy to bypass military resistance by shifting to soft power and cyber tactics, especially after battlefield failures.

Yemen’s growing arsenal of ballistic and hypersonic missiles, along with advanced drones, has shifted the balance of power in regional waters, alarming both US and Israeli defense establishments. Analysts now describe the conflict as one of the most significant maritime confrontations since World War II, with implications extending far beyond the Red Sea.

The reported US retreat, following direct threats to its carriers, represents both a major strategic victory for Yemen and a humiliating blow to Washington — particularly under Donald Trump’s leadership, whose administration had vowed to maintain dominance in the region.