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?

Praise for 25 Days to Aden
Michael Knights has written a fast-paced, thoroughly readable account of the opening days of the war in Yemen ... extraordinary military detail and access. * Gregory D. Johnsen, author of Yemen, Al-Qaeda, and America’s War in Arabia *
Offers an invaluable and gripping account ... and provides a unique level of insight. * Jack Watling, Senior Research Fellow, Land Warfare, Royal United Services Institute *
A valuable addition to the literature around Yemen's history and the ongoing war by someone who fully understands the region, its people and politics. * Sadiq Shaban, Gulf News *

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.