Houiti rebels in Yemen coordinate with Iran amid ongoing conflict

Yemen’s Houthi Group Enters Regional Conflict with Iran’s Ally

The Houthi group, an ally of Iran, has re-entered the regional conflict between their country and its enemies, the United States and Israel. The Houthis have confirmed one attack on Israel so far, but have not targeted shipping in the Red Sea.

According to a recent report by the United Nations, the relationship between the Houthi group and Iran is based on an unequal partnership. Tehran provides the group with support, expertise, technology, and political cover within the Iran-led regional “Axis of Resistance”. The Houthis retain a margin of manoeuvrability governed by their local calculations and method of leveraging regional escalation to serve their project inside Yemen.

The Houthi group has much to thank Iran for its military expansion across Yemen in recent years. A 2024 United Nations experts report stated that support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, as well as Hezbollah and Iraqi groups, played a decisive role in transforming the Houthis into a more organized and heavily armed military force.

The Houthi group views its own Yemeni agenda as an integral part of its project, rather than secondary to any Iranian calculations. They have important considerations to make, including how their decisions will be received by Saudi Arabia and how they will affect their ability to continue as the de facto authority in northwestern Yemen for a prolonged period.

The Houthis’ entry into the conflict allows them to highlight three matters: first, that they remain an active part of Iran’s regional axis; second, they aim to raise the economic cost of the war by signalling a threat to the Red Sea; and third, they seek to improve their political position in Yemen and beyond, presenting themselves as a regional actor rather than merely a local de facto authority.

The continued attacks against Iran may increase the importance of the Houthis. The more Tehran is subjected to direct pressure on its territory and military and economic infrastructure, the greater its need for tools it can use against adversaries beyond its borders.

Source: Al Jazeera