Hamoud Abu Talib

Has the Houthis’ Moment Arrived?

20 July 2026 - 00:03 | Last updated 20 July 2026 - 00:03

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Abdulmalik al-Houthi delivered his faltering speech last Thursday, coinciding with the peak of the violent American attack on Iran, but he did not threaten America or Israel; rather, he threatened the Kingdom, whose southern border he had targeted two days before his speech, after Yemeni forces intervened to prevent an Iranian plane from landing at Sanaa airport. But this time, the position of the Yemeni government was different. We witnessed broad movement, loud voices, and near-consensus on confronting the mischief of the Houthi group in Yemen in a manner unlike before, as hints of using military force began and a large popular voice was mobilized to support this approach, as evident in the speech of President Rashad al-Alimi and statements by many prominent Yemeni officials. So can we say that military decisive action has become imminent?

The Houthi group, in addition to its political ignorance and primitive thinking, practices complete submission to the directives of the Iranian regime, which treats it as a pawn to move however and whenever it wishes. Therefore, we can believe the news that has been reported that the Revolutionary Guard has given orders to the Houthi group to disrupt navigation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait whenever the execution signal is given, as a pressure card in the confrontation with America by expanding the scope of the crisis and its impact on the global economy, in hopes of obtaining more concessions. It is not unlikely that the Houthis will do so if the bombing of Iran continues at the current pace and its losses increase.

Al-Houthi rejected all attempts to end the Yemeni crisis peacefully, and continues to repeat his attacks on the Kingdom whenever the situation in Iran becomes critical, and has become a real threat in a geographically important area, both security-wise and economically, regionally and globally. Now, the moment seems appropriate and prepared to return him to his previous sphere, recover the areas of Yemen he has occupied, return the legitimate government to Sanaa, and turn the black page that Yemen and its people are living through. True, war is costly, but the cost of the survival of the Houthi gang is greater and more dangerous for Yemen and its surroundings.

Iran is now in a difficult position, and cutting off supply lines from it to the Houthis will render them unable to withstand the Yemeni armed forces, which have reorganized their ranks and rearranged their cards, in addition to the strength of the military coalition supporting legitimacy, and most importantly, the increasing popular will to get rid of this gang. The arena is now prepared politically, militarily, and legally to defeat the Houthis. Will we see a practical move in this direction?