Yemen Warns of Global Crisis as Houthi Offensives Threaten the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait

The conflict in Yemen risks escalating into a wider regional crisis as Iran-allied Houthi rebels push along the Red Sea coast through Taiz province, approaching vital maritime corridors. Yemen's Ambassador to Qatar, Rajeh Badi, stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that the internationally recognised Yemeni government has maintained the 2021 truce, while branding the Houthis as the aggressors.

Badi warned that the surprise Houthi offensive targeting al-Makha (Mocha), al-Waziyah, and the mountain ranges in Taiz province aims to grant Iran greater control over crucial shipping routes. In response, the Yemeni government has engaged in fronts across al-Jawf, Marib, and al-Bayda, cautioning that a Houthi blockade in the Red Sea could mirror the Strait of Hormuz on an even larger scale.

The strategic geography of Bab al-Mandeb connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal, making it indispensable for international energy and food logistics. Meanwhile, the conflict has increasingly drawn in Saudi Arabia. Major-General Turki al-Maliki reported that the Houthis recently launched ballistic missiles and drones at the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Jizan.

Ambassador Badi asserted that these cross-border attacks are deliberate attempts to reframe the struggle as a Saudi-Yemeni war and draw Saudi Arabia into the conflict whenever Houthi forces suffer setbacks against the Yemeni armed forces. He emphasized that the underlying battle is for the future and stability of the Yemeni state.

Badi also highlighted Iran's deep involvement, comparing the Houthis to regional proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Iraq. He recalled former Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's observation that controlling Bab al-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz provides power exceeding a nuclear arsenal.

After more than 13 years of pursuing diplomatic avenues and peace talks following the capture of Sanaa, Badi stated that the Yemeni government has been forced back to arms because peaceful solutions are incompatible with the Houthi movement's agenda. He urged the international community to recognize the Houthis as an armed proxy of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps rather than legitimate representatives of the Yemeni people.