The Houthis’ escalation in Yemen could flop
The Houthis and Iran are seeking to gain leverage, but they may instead get a unified front in the Red Sea.
The speed of the Houthi advance along the Red Sea coast has changed the strategic landscape. After capturing Mocha, Houthi forces moved into Dhubab and reached Mayyun, or Perim Island, at the narrowest point of the Bab al-Mandeb strait. These are not peripheral gains. They give the movement unprecedented leverage over one of the world’s most important maritime corridors.
This latest escalation in Yemen is not simply another episode in its long civil war. It is also not simply an escalatory move by Iran against Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia.
It is at once a struggle for the control of Yemen, a renewed confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, and another front in the wider war involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
The escalation also serves Iran’s interests. Its disruption of Gulf supplies was losing some of its force as Washington and its partners helped the international market adjust through alternative suppliers and routes bypassing Hormuz.