New Strategy Needed to Contain Houthis, Says Yemen Vice President – Reuters

By John Irish

UNITED NATIONS – The ongoing rise in hostilities in the Middle East has created an urgent need for regional and international stakeholders to develop a new strategy to address the increasingly well-armed Iran-backed Houthi rebels, according to Yemen’s vice-president.

In a reaction to Israel’s military actions in Gaza, the Houthis have been targeting shipping in the Red Sea, showing signs of increased boldness, possibly due to the acquisition of advanced weaponry like hypersonic missiles from Iran.

"We believe it’s time for all stakeholders—local, regional, and international—to unite and establish a new strategy to confront the Houthis," said Aidarous al-Zubaidi, Yemen’s vice president and head of the Southern Transitional Council, during an interview.

Zubaidi is attending the United Nations General Assembly, where he plans to engage in discussions with key actors, including representatives from the United States and Britain. These nations have previously targeted Houthi sites in Yemen to diminish their capabilities, though such efforts have yielded limited results.

The Houthi movement has widened its attack range in the Red Sea to include U.S. vessels and military ships from a Western-backed coalition designed to safeguard commercial shipping routes in the Bab al-Mandab corridor, a crucial passage at the entrance to the Red Sea.

Zubaidi expressed concerns that the current coordination among Western, local, and regional actors is insufficient to effectively counter the Houthis both militarily and economically. While he could not confirm reports of hypersonic missile transfers from Iran, he noted that Tehran appears to be utilizing the Houthis as a testing ground for its military hardware.

He also mentioned that the port of Hodeidah serves as a convenient entry point for smuggling equipment to the Houthis.

The movement has established itself as a formidable player in Yemen, having controlled many of the nation’s most populated areas amid nearly a decade of conflict against a Saudi-led and Western-backed coalition. The Houthis have also aligned themselves with Hamas in its conflict with Israel.

Zubaidi pointed out that the Houthi assaults on the Red Sea have stalled peace negotiations in Yemen, and he does not foresee any imminent prospects for dialogue.

"The international community, particularly Britain and the United States, is primarily focusing on the Red Sea, so it’s crucial to unify these efforts into a comprehensive strategy that can be truly effective," Zubaidi emphasized.

"The goal of this strategy is to contain the Houthis."