Sheba Intelligence obtains new information on cruise missile deployments near Saudi Arabia, long-range ballistic missiles in Hodeidah, and expanded military preparations along Yemen's Red Sea coast

     Sheba Intelligence has obtained new information indicating that the Houthi movement has significantly expanded its missile deployments and military preparations across northern and western Yemen, in what appears to be part of broader contingency plans aimed at threatening both the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Saudi Arabia's southern border amid rising regional tensions.

According to the information, the group has deployed cruise missile launch platforms north of Dammaj in Saada governorate near the Yemeni-Saudi border. The deployment has been accompanied by the movement of ballistic missile specialists, technical personnel and logistics support teams into border areas, suggesting an increase in operational readiness rather than a routine redeployment.

The new information also indicates that Houthi forces have deployed long-range ballistic missiles in the Al-Shaghafeland Al-Amariyah areas of Hodeidah governorate, close to the administrative border with Al-Mahwit and facing the Red Sea. The locations provide elevated terrain that allows missile systems to remain concealed while maintaining access to the western operational theater and maritime approaches to Bab al-Mandab.

Sheba Intelligence has also learned that Houthi Missile Force branches have been instructed to deploy additional launch platforms in Al-Jah, Al-Salif and Al-Tuhayta, strengthening positions overlooking one of the world's busiest maritime shipping corridors.

According to the information obtained by Sheba Intelligence, these deployments form part of Houthi preparations to threaten or potentially disrupt navigation through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, following Iran's announcement that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed until further notice. The parallel developments raise concerns that Tehran and its regional allies could seek to apply pressure simultaneously at both strategic maritime chokepoints.

Military buildup along the western coast

The missile deployments coincide with an expanding military buildup along Yemen's western coast.

New information indicates that forces belonging to the Houthi Fifth Military Region have concentrated additional fighters toward Hays, Al-Haymah Military Port, and Al-Fazah, apparently preparing for possible ground operations that could coincide with maritime or missile activity along the Red Sea coast.

The movements follow the group's large-scale assault earlier this month against government positions in the Hays front south of Hodeidah. Medical sources later reported 16 government soldiers killed and 22 wounded, after Houthi forces briefly seized several positions before government troops regained them in a counterattack.

The renewed mobilization toward Hays and surrounding coastal areas suggests that the earlier offensive may have been part of wider efforts to secure the western coastline ahead of any future maritime escalation.

Part of a broader military strategy

The latest deployments fit into a broader military pattern documented by Sheba Intelligence over recent weeks.

Earlier reporting revealed Houthi plans to conduct a naval exercise simulating the closure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, involving missile launch platforms, drone assets, naval units and coastal military positions.

Additional Sheba Intelligence reporting also revealed that an IRGC-linked technical cell had reviewed plans to relocate Houthi missile and drone infrastructure from exposed coastal areas to more fortified mountainous and desert locations, including parts of Al-Jawf, with the construction of underground facilities and hardened storage sites designed to reduce vulnerability to airstrikes.

The relocation efforts coincided with the transfer of fighters, missiles and air-defense systems into Al-Jawf and Maribduring the Al-Rayyan tribal crisis, indicating that the Houthis have been redistributing military assets across multiple fronts while simultaneously strengthening internal security positions.

Separately, Sheba Intelligence previously disclosed Houthi plans to recruit up to 100,000 additional fighters, providing the movement with sufficient manpower to sustain simultaneous operations along the Red Sea coast, the Saudi border and Yemen's internal fronts.

The recent arrival of an Iranian Mahan Air flight in Sana'a has further reinforced concerns surrounding the group's military preparations. A previous Sheba Intelligence follow-up reported that equipment was unloaded from the aircraft alongside the arrival of dozens of technical specialists, raising questions over the possible transfer of expertise or sensitive military equipment to Houthi forces.

Although the precise nature of the equipment has not been independently verified, the timing of the flight, followed by the expansion of missile deployments near the Saudi border and across Hodeidah, adds another layer to the broader military buildup now taking shape.

Taken together, the latest intelligence suggests that the Houthis are moving beyond force repositioning toward a higher level of operational readiness. By distributing missile systems between the Saudi border, Hodeidah's elevated terrain and the western coastline while reinforcing ground formations along the Red Sea, the group appears to be creating multiple options for escalation should the regional confrontation involving Iran intensify.