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As Operation Epic Fury relentlessly targets Iran’s theocratic regime, it comes as no surprise that one of Iran’s proxy groups has now emerged on the scene. In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels are echoing the familiar rhetoric typically heard from such factions.
Interestingly, Iran appears to be attempting to rein in the Houthis’ aggressive stance. Only time will tell how successful these efforts will be.
The timing for the Houthis’ posturing couldn’t be worse. If their leadership were more astute, they would recognize the potential consequences of their actions. Any attempt to target Saudi Arabia is likely to result in a severe military response, not unlike the strikes Iran is currently experiencing. The message from the United States and Israel has been clear in recent weeks, and the patience of other Gulf States is wearing thin.
If the Houthis proceed with such provocations, it could rank as one of the most ill-advised military decisions since Napoleon’s ill-fated invasion of Moscow. The unfolding situation presents a compelling question: Who exactly stands as a key ally in this scenario?
“Regarding military escalation and action, our fingers are on the trigger, ready to respond at any moment should developments warrant it,” al-Houthi said on Thursday.
“The reason why the Houthis have not intervened is they are last line of resistance for the axis. Especially after other axis members were degraded,” Nadwa Al-Dawsari, an expert on Yemen and an associate fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital.
This isn’t the time for the Houthis to be kicking up their heels; if their leadership had the brains of a wheel of cheese, they’d know that. The only attention they are liable to draw by attacking their most likely target – Saudi Arabia – is going to include, just like in Iran, a suitable application of high explosives. If we’ve learned anything in the last week, it’s that the United States and Israel aren’t playing patty-cake anymore, and the other Gulf States are fast running out of patience as well.
Al-Dawsari, who has written extensively about Yemen and the Houthis, said: “I think the Houthis will intervene at some point. The longer the war continues, the more likely the Houthis will intervene. I think what the Houthis want to do — and they have been itching for a while to do — is to attack the Saudis. If the Saudis intervene, the Houthis will find a reason to attack the Saudis.”
That would be the biggest military misjudgment since Napoleon’s march on Moscow. This, though, is the interesting bit:
Al-Dawsari said another reason why the Houthis have yet to join the conflict is that it’s not in the interests of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “to drag the Houthis into a suicidal war.” She argues “If the Iranian regime collapses, and if a new regime emerges, I think the IRGC will regroup in Yemen or Somalia. Yemen is the key ally.”
A key ally – to whom?