While Iranian allies in Lebanon and Iraq have joined a widening regional conflict, Yemen's heavily-armed Houthi movement has so far remained on the sidelines The group, also known as Ansar Allah, possesses significant military capabilities that could disrupt maritime navigation around the Arabian Peninsula and strike neighboring Gulf countries
The Houthis are a military, political, and religious movement based in northern Yemen, adhering to the Zaydi sect of Shiite Islam The group's power expanded after the 2011 "Arab Spring" protests, during which it cultivated closer ties with Iran before seizing the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in 2014 This takeover prompted a military intervention in 2015 led by Saudi Arabia, which sought to dislodge the group and restore the internationally recognized government
Although a Houthi leader stated on March 5 that the group was ready to act, they have not yet entered the current conflict Their posture of non-intervention stands in contrast to other regional actors and presents a significant variable in the escalating geopolitical dynamics
Mohsin Rana
