WSJ: “How the Houthis Transformed from Rebels to a Global Threat,” as U.S. Envoy Hints at Escalation

NYN | Reports and analyses

The U.S. Special Envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, expressed deep concerns regarding the expansion of the Sana’a government and the Ansar Allah movement’s foreign relations since the ongoing war in Gaza began, in which Sana’a’s forces are participating in support of the Palestinian resistance. He noted that Washington is discussing with regional parties how to address this situation.

Last weekend, the Wall Street Journal published a report titled, “How the Houthis Transformed from Rebels to a Global Threat.” The report stated that “the Houthis are rapidly expanding abroad, lending their substantial manpower to conflicts elsewhere, and establishing international ties with various actors in the Middle East, Africa, and as far as Russia,” according to Western officials.

The paper quoted Envoy Lenderking as saying, “One unfortunate consequence of the Gaza conflict is that the Houthis have intensified their contacts with other malign actors in the region and beyond.”

He added that “this trend is highly concerning,” noting that “the U.S. is talking with regional partners on how to respond.”

According to the report, Lenderking said that “countries like Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Djibouti are worried about this trend” and that “the U.S. is discussing with its allies the potential increase in intelligence-sharing.”

These statements reinforce information shared in previous reports regarding U.S. efforts to push Saudi Arabia toward re-engaging in the conflict against the Sana’a forces. This is seen as a strategy to pressure the Houthis to halt their military operations against Israel and ships connected with Israel, the U.S., and the U.K., an action Saudi Arabia has resisted, fearing retaliation on its vital infrastructure by the Sana’a forces.

Last week, in a televised speech, Ansar Allah’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said, “The Americans are persistently attempting to drag others, especially the Saudi-Emirati coalition, into renewed escalation in clear service to the Israeli enemy,” alongside what he described as “ongoing political and economic pressures” to end “operations supporting Gaza.”

Al-Houthi added that “Saudi Arabia and others know that entangling themselves with the Americans in Yemen will cost them tremendous losses without achieving their objectives.”

Al-Houthi declared his readiness to confront any level of escalation from the United States and Israel.