The Houthis have issued statements in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran since the start of the US-Israeli military campaign, but have not officially announced military action—instead primarily mobilizing demonstrations and media support. However, anonymous officials in the Yemeni terror group have told media outlets that the group will soon begin attacks on Israel and international shipping.
The United States and Israel launched a campaign against the regime in Tehran on February 28, killing numerous Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The Islamic Republic responded by launching hundreds of drones and missiles at US bases, Israel, and Gulf countries, an effort that the Houthis have vocally supported but not joined. The Houthis previously launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel and military and civilian vessels in the Red Sea during the war in Gaza.
Abdulmalik al Houthi, the leader of the Yemeni terror group, delivered a speech on February 28 condemning the American and Israeli strikes against the Islamic Republic. Abdulmalik described the joint operation as “an unjustified attack on a Muslim country—a blatant, criminal, and barbaric act targeting the Muslim Iranian people, their official institutions, and their Islamic system.” He expressed “complete solidarity” with the Tehran regime and said, “We [the Houthis] are fully prepared for any necessary developments.”
Abdulmalik called for media activity and public demonstrations in support of the Islamic Republic as a religious duty but did not announce military operations. He also addressed the Iranian regime’s attacks on neighboring Arab countries, saying that it targeted US bases, which he said are legitimate military targets. Abdulmalik also delivered a speech on March 1 condemning the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and memorializing him, but he again did not announce military retaliation.
Despite the lack of an official announcement regarding military action, the Associated Press, citing two senior, anonymous Houthi officials, reported on February 28 that the Houthis are planning to resume attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea. A Yemeni government source told Arab News that Iran instructed the Houthis to conduct attacks in the Red Sea on February 28.
Abdulmalik and other Houthi leaders are framing the US and Israeli attacks on Iran as an attempt to expand Israeli control of the region. Mohammad Ali al Houthi, a member of the group’s Supreme Political Council, said, “We call upon the Arab and Islamic peoples for moral, humanitarian, and Islamic solidarity” with Iran, and he emphasized the legitimacy of targeting American bases in Arab countries. Mohammad also said that Arab countries should remove US bases from their territory.
Following Abdulmalik’s call for mass mobilization, Houthi military media shared photographs of a so-called “million-strong” march in “Solidarity with the Iranian People” in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, on March 1. The military media also released a statement from the march condemning the American and Israeli strikes and supporting the Iranian targeting of US bases in the region.
