RIYADH: Iran’s Shia allies in Lebanon and Iraq have joined the war in the region unleashed by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Tehran. But Yemen’s Houthi rebels, heavily armed and capable of striking Gulf neighbours and causing major disruption to maritime navigation around the Arabian Peninsula, have not yet entered the fray.
On March 5, Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said his group was ready to strike at any moment.
Observers have been split on what course of action the Houthis, a notoriously mercurial group, may take. Some diplomats and analysts believe they may have already undertaken individual attacks on targets in neighbouring states. Others say the Houthis are keeping their powder dry for an opportune moment to enter the conflict, in coordination with Iran, in order to exert maximum pressure.
The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz to Gulf Arab hydrocarbon exports and a shift to heavy reliance on the Red Sea might provide such an opportunity.
Lastly, given growing economic pressure at home and the likelihood of intense U.S., Israeli and even Saudi attacks should they join the war, some analysts say the Houthis may decide to sit out the conflict altogether.
