Exclusive: Houthis Plan to Recruit 100,000 Fighters Amid U.S.-Iran Talks and Red Sea Uncertainty
Sheba Intelligence has obtained private information indicating that the Houthi group has begun implementing a broad mobilization plan aimed at recruiting up to 100,000 fighters under what it calls “popular forces.”
The information points to a coordinated campaign involving district-level recruitment, tribal mobilization, training programs and military displays near frontlines and border areas. Houthi leaders and security supervisors have reportedly been tasked with overseeing recruitment and training operations across several areas under the group’s control.
According to the information, the plan covers areas around Sana’a, Dhamar, Hajjah, Hodeidah and Saada, where new recruits are expected to be trained in valleys, camps and field locations. The group is also seeking to highlight these activities through media coverage and organized field displays.
The mobilization comes amid renewed frontline tensions in Yemen. In recent days, clashes were reported between government-aligned forces and Houthi fighters in Al-Dhalea, while both sides announced casualties in separate incidents. A government soldier was also reported killed in clashes in Taiz, highlighting the fragility of Yemen’s relative calm after years of reduced large-scale fighting.
The new information builds on a previous Sheba Intelligence report that examined whether the Houthi mobilization statement reflected calculated escalation or internal strain. The latest details give that assessment a clearer field dimension, linking the mobilization rhetoric to a specific recruitment target, local-level instructions and preparations for new training tracks.
Sheba Intelligence assesses that the plan serves several purposes at once. It allows the Houthis to rebuild manpower reserves, absorb public anger over worsening living conditions in areas under their control, and increase pressure on the internationally recognized Yemeni government and its allies.
The timing also gives the mobilization a wider regional meaning. It comes as U.S.-Iran negotiations continue to shape security calculations in the Middle East, including unresolved questions over sanctions, maritime security and the role of Iran-aligned armed groups.
In this context, the Houthis remain one of Iran’s most important pressure points near global maritime routes. Their position along the Red Sea and their ability to threaten Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden give their mobilization significance beyond Yemen’s internal frontlines.
The reported plan does not necessarily mean that a full-scale war is imminent. However, recruiting up to 100,000 fighterswould increase the group’s ability to pressure border areas, activate frontlines and sustain a higher level of military readiness if regional negotiations fail or a new escalation unfolds.
For the Yemeni government and its allies, the risk lies in the combination of internal mobilization and regional timing. The Houthis appear to be keeping military options active while using the mobilization campaign to strengthen their bargaining position locally and regionally.
The current mobilization should therefore be read as a warning indicator: a clear recruitment target, field-level instructions, renewed clashes, and a broader message aimed at Yemen’s government, its allies and regional actors monitoring Red Sea security.