Houthis Face Unified Foes as Yemen War Resumes
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- Houthis claimed missile and drone attacks on two Saudi ships in the Red Sea, vowing enforcement of their blockade on Saudi ports
- Clashes between Houthis and government forces in southwestern Dhale governorate caused more than 30 casualties on both sides
- Anti-Houthi forces have consolidated since the UAE's expulsion from Yemen late last year, with Saudi Arabia now the main regional backer of a more unified Presidential Leadership Council, per Crisis Group analyst Ahmed Nagi
- Thousands of tribesmen gathered in al-Jawf province to publicly condemn the Houthis, forming what analyst Fuad Mussed called the first major anti-Houthi tribal alliance since forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh split from the group in 2017
- Trump warned of "major military punishment" for Iran and the Houthis, stating on Truth Social that the US would hold Iran "responsible" for Houthi actions as their proxy
- Houthis retain a unified command, more than 200,000 fighters in affiliated army units, plus missiles, drones and fortified positions — advantages the Sanaa Center's Yazeed al-Jeddawy says prevent any decisive shift in the balance of power
Why it matters: A more unified Yemeni government backed by Saudi Arabia and a newly mobilized tribal alliance now faces 200,000-strong Houthi forces with missiles and drones, while Trump's threat to hold Iran 'responsible' risks drawing US strikes into the Red Sea shipping corridor where the Houthis have already targeted commercial vessels.
