Why a new war in Yemen could be different for the Houthis - Al Jazeera

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported from Sanaa on July 27, 2026, that Yemen’s Houthi movement has mobilised forces in areas it controls, raising fears that the country’s four-year period of relative calm could give way to renewed full-scale war. The report said the Houthis claimed missile and drone attacks on two Saudi ships in the Red Sea on Wednesday, while fighting with forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government broke out on a front line in Dhale, leaving more than 30 casualties on both sides.

The article argues that a new round of war could be harder for the Houthis than earlier phases of Yemen’s conflict. Al Jazeera cited analysts who said anti-Houthi forces appear more coordinated than in the past, after years when divisions within the government camp and competing Saudi and Emirati priorities helped the Houthis preserve major territorial gains. The Houthis still control Yemen’s populous northwest, including Sanaa, and retain significant drone and missile capabilities.

Ahmed Nagi of the International Crisis Group told Al Jazeera that Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council appears less divided and that Saudi Arabia has become the main regional actor working with anti-Houthi factions. Marwan Ali Noman of the Washington Center for Yemeni Studies pointed to a possible anti-Houthi tribal alliance in al-Jawf and growing international concern over Red Sea security as factors that could strengthen the government side.

The report also noted that past Houthi attacks on shipping drew US, UK and Israeli strikes, and that a renewed campaign against Saudi-linked vessels could prompt new regional security arrangements or greater backing for local ground forces. Al Jazeera said the Houthis may be calculating that Saudi Arabia and other states will prefer a quick deal over a prolonged confrontation.