Conflict in Iran: What Really Changes with the Houthis Entry into War

Interview. The president of the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, Maged al-Madhaji, explains how the Houthi rebels allied with Iran are able to disrupt energy flows in the Red Sea.

It’s an unexpected development in the war that is raging in the Middle East. Just over a month after the start of American-Israeli bombings in Iran, the Houthi rebels claimed their first attack against Israel on Saturday, March 28. The entry of this allied group into the war with the Islamic Republic is even more surprising given that this member of the pro-Iranian “Axis of Resistance” – an alliance of non-state paramilitary groups anti-American and anti-Israeli, nurtured by Iran for almost forty years – had remained relatively discreet since the beginning of the war on February 28.

As a co-founder of the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, an independent think tank founded in 2014 in Aden, southwestern Yemen, Maged al-Madhaji is one of the country’s top experts. In an interview with Le Point, this political scientist and human rights activist decrypts the reasons that led the Houthis to join the fight alongside Iran.

In this context, the activation of the Houthi front aims to exert additional pressure in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb strait, as well as on Israel on various levels. This intervention simultaneously achieves several objectives. Firstly, it sends a clear message: the axis retains the capacity to expand the conflict. Secondly, it creates concrete pressure on the allocation of military resources, both for Israel and the United States, by adding a new operational constraint. Thirdly, it signals an increased risk of disrupting global commercial and energy flows – especially as the threat extends to the Red Sea, which remains a crucial outlet for Gulf oil exports via the Yanbu corridor.

Ultimately, this initiative reflects both a functional necessity related to negotiations, an attempt to test Israeli and American defensive and offensive systems, as well as a warning of a possible new shock for the world economy through targeting energy routes in the Red Sea.

Context: The interview sheds light on the strategic implications of the recent Houthi attacks on Israel and their alliance with Iran.

Fact Check: The content discusses the recent escalation of the conflict with Yemen’s Houthi rebels and their targeting of Israel. It also addresses the broader implications of their actions on regional stability.