American newspaper: The Houthis are forming dangerous alliances with extremist groups.. and weakening the group’s structure requires three things

Longtime Yemen watchers predict that even “a temporary cease-fire now between Israel and Hamas is unlikely to change the Houthis’ approach, with so much money and influence at stake,” according to the Washington Times.

The newspaper said in a report prepared by "Jacob Verschafter and Wassim Abu Mahdi" and translated by "Yemeni Youth Net", that "the Houthis in Yemen are no longer just a local rebellion movement, but are moving towards spreading globally."

“Once just one faction in the civil war in the Middle East’s poorest country, the rebel group has transformed into a major regional force threatening global trade, striking at Israel and forming dangerous alliances with extremist groups to destabilize the Middle East and the Horn of Africa,” she added.

Since November 2023, the Iran-backed group has launched more than 250 attacks on commercial and military vessels, forcing global shipping companies to reroute their voyages away from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal — a waterway that handles 12% of global trade.

The newspaper indicated in a report translated by "Yemeni Youth Net" that Egypt has suffered devastating economic losses, as Suez Canal revenues fell by 60% in 2024 and it lost more than $7 billion due to shipping companies bypassing the area. The financial pressure has led to Egypt's deficit rising to more than $20 billion, increasing pressure on the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Meanwhile, the Houthis' coffers are filling fast, with the United Nations estimating that the rebel force earns about $180 million a month from extortion schemes to allow ships to pass safely through areas it controls.

“The Houthis control major ports and smuggling routes, which are essential for generating revenue,” said Danny Citrinovitch, a former Israeli defense intelligence official and senior researcher on Middle East security affairs. “Oil smuggling, arms trafficking, illicit trade — all feed their war chest.”

With the announcement of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the Houthis offered one concession: they said they would only target shipping traffic in the Red Sea directly linked to Israel.

It is uncertain how long this pledge will hold, although a Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker that was hit by a Houthi missile in 2024 successfully passed through the waterway just this week, according to Reuters news agency.

But it's not just about the money.

The Houthis have weaponized the Red Sea, using a combination of missile strikes, naval drones and piracy threats to project power far beyond Yemen’s borders, furthering their patron, Iran’s, goal of sowing instability. Analysts say this helps ensure that their common enemies remain focused on security concerns rather than stability and economic progress.

In November 2023, the Houthis seized their first commercial vessel, the Galaxy Leader, and held its 25-member crew captive for 14 months, claiming they were acting in solidarity with Palestinian Hamas forces fighting Israel in the Gaza Strip. The captives—nationals of the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico—were finally released late last month, following mediation efforts linked to a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Houthis claimed the ship was a “legitimate target” because of its ties to an Israeli shipping company, but the fate of the crew remained uncertain for months. Meanwhile, the U.N. panel of experts on Yemen has confirmed that Lebanon’s Hezbollah, another regional ally of Iran, plays a direct role in supporting Houthi military operations, providing expertise in weapons assembly, battlefield strategy, and financial management.

Houthi Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the group’s chief spokesman, has built a strong following online, using platforms such as X and the Houthis’ official website to spread propaganda and shape their international image. The Houthi website displays interactive maps showing US and Saudi airstrikes on Yemen, reinforcing their narrative of resistance and external aggression.

These visual tools are used to mobilize local and international supporters in an attempt to delegitimize the coalition’s military efforts. Saree regularly posts battlefield updates, exaggerated claims of military victories, and threats against Western and Gulf states. His social media presence, which has tens of thousands of followers, provides a direct channel for the group’s messaging.

extract concessions

According to Nadwa Al-Dawsari, a scholar at the Middle East Institute, the Houthis have consistently demonstrated their ability to use negotiations as a stalling tactic and violence as a means of extracting concessions—making it unlikely that they will be affected by even temporary cessations of hostilities elsewhere in the region.

"The Houthis are manipulating the ceasefire and peace talks to consolidate their power and prolong the conflict rather than resolve it," she added.

The continued Houthi activity serves another purpose—complicating Israeli and US efforts to focus on Iran, which both view as the main source of instability in the region.

Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, an Emirati political science professor based in Dubai, told The Washington Times that Iran's strategy is to unify disparate armed groups when it serves Tehran's interests.

“Iran has long pursued a strategy of using its proxies to destabilize the region,” he added. “By facilitating limited cooperation between them, Iran ensures that its regional adversaries remain preoccupied with security concerns.”

Relations with extremists

Perhaps most worrying is the growing relationship between the Houthis and extremist groups. A UN report found that the Houthis and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula—which is also active in Yemen—have agreed to set aside ideological differences in order to undermine the internationally recognized Yemeni government. This cooperation includes arms transfers, intelligence sharing, and joint attacks against government forces.

For AQAP, this would mean access to smuggling routes and resources. For the Houthis, it would ensure that Yemen’s government remains too weak to challenge their rule.

The Houthis have also recruited Ethiopian mercenaries from migrant communities. The UN report found evidence that they are paying fighters from Ethiopia’s Tigrayan and Oromo tribes salaries of between $80 and $100 a month — adding another foreign dimension to Yemen’s war.

The new Trump administration has moved aggressively to counter the Houthis’ growing influence. In his first days in office, President Trump formally redesignated the group as a “foreign terrorist organization,” reversing the Biden administration’s earlier decision to delist it in hopes of promoting a political settlement to the country’s civil war and resulting humanitarian crisis.

Trump's move aims to cut off the Houthis' sources of funding and disrupt the group's financial operations, but humanitarian organizations have warned that this could further complicate the delivery of aid to Yemen, exacerbating the ongoing crisis.

The war in Yemen has already displaced millions, and the country remains in free fall. “This year marks a decade of conflict in Yemen,” said researcher Nadwa Al-Dosari. “Despite efforts at negotiations, peace remains elusive, and two-thirds of Yemen’s population still need humanitarian assistance, with 4.5 million people displaced.”

In addition, the United States has intensified military operations against terrorist groups in the region, carrying out airstrikes targeting Houthi-controlled weapons depots and key infrastructure. On January 8, U.S. Central Command announced that it had launched strikes against two underground Houthi advanced conventional weapons storage facilities in Yemen.

These operations are intended to degrade the Houthis’ ability to launch further attacks while ensuring the security of Red Sea shipping lanes. Senior US officials have stressed that these actions are intended to disrupt the group’s capabilities while minimizing civilian casualties.

For their part, the Houthis rejected the redesignation as a foreign terrorist organization, calling it a “meaningless farce,” and mocked the move in official statements and through their spokesman Yahya Saree on social media.

On social media, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree dismissed the US decision as “desperate and ineffective,” claiming it would have no impact on the rebel force’s operations or financial networks. The group has vowed to continue its attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Israel, insisting the designation is evidence of “American frustration with the resistance.”

Despite American and British airstrikes, the Houthis remain largely undeterred. “The Houthis are very adaptable,” says Mr. Citrinovitch, the former Israeli intelligence official. “Saudi Arabia has bombed Yemen extensively and failed to break them.”

“The lesson here is that hitting infrastructure alone will not be enough to achieve the goal,” he added. “Instead, weakening this infrastructure requires three things: targeting weapons manufacturing, preventing Iranian support through smuggling routes, and hitting its (Houthi group’s) leadership to disrupt its internal cohesion.”