What lies behind the Houthis’ powerful attack

“The world will soon hear the cries of the Saudis,” threatened the Houthis, the military group occupying part of Yemen. Yesterday, the militants used drones and missiles to strike several bases belonging to the government army, the only one recognised internationally. The Houthis and the government have been at war since 2014, but an attack on this scale has not occurred since 2022. The group targeted military personnel and weapons depots; an as yet unofficial estimate suggests that around thirty soldiers were killed, “sons of the Yemeni people”, according to the government. The Ministry of Defence has promised a response but “at the appropriate time”. First, there will be coordination with the Saudis. The Houthis are, in fact, targeting the Yemeni government whilst keeping Riyadh in mind; yesterday they stated that they had attacked areas where Saudi Arabia was concentrating its forces to organise an offensive. In recent days, the Houthis have also announced attacks on Saudi ships passing through the Red Sea, threatening to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea. The Houthis, just like Hezbollah in Lebanon, do not act alone; they are among the Shia proxies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has always supplied them with weapons and money and nurtured them so that they could become a threat in Yemen and across the region. When the Houthis say they are ready to strike Riyadh, it is because Tehran wants them to. And the Saudis cannot stand idly by, despite the fact that the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman, is said to be Trump’s chief adviser, having, according to reports in the American press, often persuaded him to change his mind about attacks on Iran. Tehran, on the other hand, is waging all-out war; a confrontation with Riyadh seems inevitable as the Houthi attacks intensify. The paradox that the Saudis are covering up remains the same: they are fighting on Israel’s behalf.