An Arabic-speaking country in the south of the Arabian Peninsula that has seen conflict since 2011 protests morphed into a civil war. In 2015, a Saudi Arabian-led coalition began a seven year bombing campaign against the Iran-backed Houthi group, which controls the capital Sanaa. In 2023, the Houthis began firing at ships in the Red Sea, saying it was in 'solidarity' with Gaza. Following this, the US and UK began bombing the Houthis.

An American-designed air-to-surface missile equipped with a kinetic warhead consisting of 6 blades which extend from its body and deploy during flight, replacing the explosive warhead used by other AGM-114 Hellfire variants. The munition was first publicly used in 2017 and is often colloquially referred to as the ‘Ninja missile’ in media reports. It relies on its 49 kg weight in combination with blades to kill specific individuals in open areas or inside soft vehicles, such as cars. The R9X is often fired at high-priority targets, such as militant group leadership figures, and has seen comparatively widespread use in parts of northern Syria, as well as more limited use in Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan.