Saudi Arabia supports royalist forces

North Yemen joined the United Arab States, a political union with the United Arab Republic of Egypt and Syria. The move reflected regional anti-colonial politics and the Yemeni leadership’s search for...

North Yemen withdrew from the United Arab States after the union weakened. Regional rivalries and domestic political tensions continued, setting the stage for the 1962 revolution and internationalized...

A group of Yemeni army officers deposed Imam Muhammad al-Badr and proclaimed the Yemen Arab Republic. The revolution grew from domestic opposition to hereditary rule and wider republican currents....

Imam al-Badr survived the attack on his palace and began organizing royalist resistance. The survival of the imam enabled a rival political coalition to mobilize, preventing the new republican...

Egypt sent troops to support the new republican government after appeals from Yemeni leaders. Egyptian intervention transformed a Yemeni revolution into a wider regional war and brought large-scale...

Britain merged Aden Colony with several protectorate sheikhdoms into the Federation of South Arabia. The federation preserved British influence over external affairs and security while presenting...

Armed resistance in Radfan became a major front in the struggle against British rule. Local fighters challenged the federation’s authority and the British military presence; the revolt connected...

A grenade attack on the British High Commissioner in Aden killed one person and wounded about 50, after which the colonial administration declared a state of emergency. The insurgency grew amid...

Federation troops, supported by British air power, launched an operation in Radfan. The military campaign sought to reopen the road between Aden and Dhala and restore colonial-federation control....

British army forces and Federation troops began a renewed expedition into Radfan. The operation captured ridges and high ground, but the campaign’s central issue remained Yemeni opposition to...