Expectations: National Defense Council to Raise Military Readiness as Al-Alimi Seeks International Support Against the Houthis

The anticipated move follows the Houthi declaration of a maritime blockade against Saudi shipping and growing threats to international navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab

     Yemeni political and military sources expect the National Defense Council to announce an increase in the military readiness of the Yemeni Armed Forces in response to the Houthi movement’s declaration of a maritime blockade targeting Saudi vessels.

Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi is also expected to call on the Arab Coalition and Yemen’s international partners to support the Yemeni military in confronting Houthi threats to international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The anticipated announcement would reflect a shift toward a broader military response, as the Houthi escalation is no longer confined to Yemen’s internal conflict but increasingly threatens regional security, freedom of navigation, and international trade routes.

The developments follow a series of exclusive reports published by Sheba Intelligence that revealed the Houthis’ transition from military preparations to a formal phase of escalation.

Sheba Intelligence previously reported on high-level military and intelligence meetings involving senior Houthi officials, as well as meetings between the Iranian ambassador in Sanaa and the group’s leadership shortly before the announcement of the maritime blockade.

The Houthi declaration subsequently reinforced Sheba Intelligence’s earlier assessment that the group was preparing to expand the confrontation beyond Yemen’s battlefronts and toward Saudi Arabia and strategic maritime routes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.