Crisis Group: Houthi Involvement in the Israel-Gaza Conflict Puts Yemen at Risk
The International Crisis Group has said the Houthi group's involvement in the ongoing Gaza conflict poses risks to Yemen and bolsters its agenda. In its report, the group emphasized that the renewal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has allowed the Houthi forces to enhance their agenda, expand their popular support, and strengthen their ties with counterparts in the Resistance Axis. The report suggests that the Houthi engagement in the war signifies their emergence as players outside their immediate geographic region. According to the report, the Houthis aim to demonstrate to local and international audiences that their military strength is growing. Houthis have publicly declared they fired several missiles and drones at Israel over the past few days, vowing to carry out more attacks if the Israeli war on Gaza is going to continue.
On Sunday, UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Iranian media reported that the two diplomats discussed the latest developments in Yemen and the progress of peace talks. The civil war in Yemen halted in April last year after the success of the UN-sponsored peace talks. Efforts are ongoing to prevent the resumption of the war in Yemen.
Yemen's Houthi group warned Saturday about the widening Israeli-Palestinian conflict, urging Arabs to support Palestinians in Gaza "to achieve their legitimate rights." The military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, vowed to continue firing missiles and drones toward Israel. The Israeli army said Tuesday that its air defense systems intercepted a surface-to-surface missile launched from the Red Sea area. The ongoing war broke out on October 7 when Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack on Israeli settlements bordering Gaza. At least 9500 Gazans and nearly 1540 Israelis have been killed.
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman wrapped up a crucial trip to Washington this week, a visit aimed at maintaining solid US-Saudi relations amid the regional complications of the Israel-Hamas war. The minister, KBS, met with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The two discussed efforts to strengthen the US-Saudi defense partnership. On Yemen, Sullivan praised Saudi Arabia's "efforts to bring the war to a close." According to the White House, Sullivan and KBS further discussed the need to provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza and prevent "non-state actors" from entering the war. The "non-state actors" could refer to Yemen's Houthis, Lebanon's Hezbollah, and other Iranian proxies in the region.
Iran said that the United States would "be hit hard" if no ceasefire is reached in Gaza, the country's Minister of Defense was quoted as saying to Iranian news agencies on Sunday. Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani said, "Our advice to the Americans is to immediately stop the war in Gaza and implement a ceasefire. Otherwise, they will be hit hard." Iran considers the US to be "militarily involved" in the conflict. Iran deems the US to be "militarily involved" since the conflict began last month.
