Illustrative image. Source: the Houthis Military Media.
The Houthis (Ansar Allah) are preparing to launch an attack in the western Yemeni province of al-Hudaydah, the Al Arabiya TV reported January 3, citing Yemeni news sources.
According to the Saudi-owned news channel, the Houthis deployed missile and drone launchers in al-Hudaydah and are preparing to launch a large-scale attack on the Saudi-led coalition and its Yemeni allies on the west coast. The group possess a large arsenal of missiles and drone, that was reportedly built with help from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“These preparations coincided with the [Houthis] militia’s deployment of military reinforcements and its implementation of a new mobilization and recruitment campaign,” Al Arabiya reported, quoting the Yemeni West Coast news outlet.
The Houthis are allegedly preparing to escalate in al-Hudaydah in order to threaten international trade routes in the Red Sea and to disturb ongoing efforts by the United Nations to renew the nationwide ceasefire in Yemen.
This was not the first time the Houthis have been accused of escalating since the situation in Yemen stabilized as a result of a lengthy UN-sponsored ceasefire last year. Last November, the Saudi-backed wing of the Yemeni military warned that the Houthis are preparing to launch more attacks on Yemeni oil facilities, terminals and tankers. These warnings have not materialized, yet.
The Houthis have been indeed pressuring the Saudi-backed Yemeni government in Aden to accept a proposal to share the national oil revenue. Nevertheless, the group has so far refrained from using brute force.
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