A military meeting ordered attempts to recruit sources inside government forces while strengthening positions around Marib, the West Coast and Bab al-Mandab.

   Houthi military commanders have ordered efforts to penetrate government forces and recruit insiders capable of providing advance information on operational plans and troop movements, according to information obtained by Sheba Intelligence.

The decision was taken during a meeting attended by officers from the Houthi-controlled Fourth Military Region. The meeting also approved changes at sensitive positions, preparations of the operational theatre and the deployment of ideologically committed battalions along front lines in Taiz, Al-Dhale and south of Hays in Hodeidah.

The officers are overseeing new security and military arrangements that include fortifying positions, stabilising front lines and deploying missiles and self-propelled artillery.

The reported emphasis on recruiting insiders suggests that the Houthis are seeking more than defensive readiness. Access to information from within government units could help the group identify weak points, anticipate attacks and conduct pre-emptive operations before a broader confrontation begins.

West Coast and Bab al-Mandab

The involvement of the Fourth Military Region indicates that the main focus is the West Coast and Bab al-Mandab theatre. The preparations could also support strikes against military targets deeper in southern Yemen, including Al-Anad Air Base in Lahj and potentially strategic sites in the interim capital, Aden.

The deployment of missiles and mobile artillery near these fronts would give the Houthis the ability to support ground forces, strike rear positions and disrupt government reinforcements. It does not, by itself, confirm that an offensive has been ordered, but it expands the group’s options beyond holding existing lines.

Reinforcements Toward Marib

Separately, Houthi reinforcements have been observed moving from Al-Jawf and the Nihm front toward Marib.

Using both routes could allow the group to increase pressure on Marib’s northern and western approaches, reactivate dormant fronts and force government forces to divide their reserves across several axes.

Marib remains strategically important as a centre of government military power and a major oil and gas-producing province. The West Coast and Bab al-Mandab, meanwhile, connect Yemen’s internal conflict to the security of one of the world’s most important maritime corridors.

Taken together, the movements indicate preparations across two linked theatres: Marib in the east and the West Coast–Bab al-Mandab axis in the west. The apparent aim may be to prevent government forces from concentrating on a single front while giving the Houthis the option to launch limited, pre-emptive attacks or escalate more broadly.

Sheba Intelligence could not independently verify every detail of the meeting or the full scale of the deployed forces and weapons.