By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2023-11-28

The Houthis' recent seizure of a ship off the coast of Yemen came in response to Iranian directives as part of an attempt to assert influence over Bab al-Mandeb strait, political analysts say.

Such actions demonstrate that the Iranian regime intends to use the Houthis as a fulcrum to threaten the security of the region and international navigation at the southern gateway to the Red Sea, they say.

The Houthis on November 19 seized "Galaxy Leader," a commercial vessel operated by Japan, off the coast of al-Hodeidah province, just days after they threatened to target Israeli vessels in the waterway.

The seizure -- and a series of other recent attacks in the Red Sea -- was carried out against the backdrop of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Sheba Intelligence, an open source intelligence platform, has been monitoring the movements of the Houthis' missile force and drones as part of "war scenarios" that may start in Yemen in connection with the Israel-Hamas war.

In an October 17 report, Sheba Intelligence revealed that there are five key hubs in Yemen through which the Houthis might choose to participate in the war.

It identified these as al-Hodeidah province, Taez and al-Bayda provinces, al-Jawf province, Saada province and Sanaa.

From al-Hodeidah, the Houthis can threaten trade routes and international forces in the Red Sea, the report said, noting that the group has stored naval missiles in al-Hodeidah's al-Qanawis district and al-Khasham in Hajjah province.

Naval missiles have been transported from several areas, it said, foremost from a workshop in al-Hodeidah's Bajil district.

The Houthis have installed ballistic missile platforms in al-Amaki in Taez, it said.

And in Taez and al-Bayda provinces, it noted, the group could seek to close off Bab al-Mandeb and target international forces in the Gulf of Aden.

In Saada province, the report said, there has been a massive movement of missiles and drones. Radars have been installed, and the Houthis have set up an operations room with foreign experts to launch attacks on the Saudi border.

And from Sanaa the group may seek to fire long-range missiles in different directions, the report said, adding that some types of missiles are being rehabilitated and developed in special workshops in Bani Hushaish district.

Maritime piracy

The Yemeni government has on numerous occasions stated its rejection of the maritime piracy carried out by the Houthis in Yemen's territorial waters.

The Houthis' actions seriously threaten maritime navigation and international peace and security, the government said in a recent statement.

Attacks carried out by the Houthis will "deepen the humanitarian crisis for the Yemeni people and double the economic burdens and cost of insurance and sea freight for ships heading to Yemeni ports," it said.

"The Houthis' targeting of a ship in the Red Sea is implementation of long-standing Iranian threats, in which it asserted its ability to close Bab al-Mandeb," said Abaad Center for Strategic Studies director Abdul Salam Mohammed.

The group previously has demonstrated its ability to close the Strait of Hormuz, he told Al-Fassel, noting that Iran "wants to tell the world that it is capable of controlling Bab al-Mandeb strait and the Strait of Hormuz."

Mohammed said the Houthis' recent hijacking "is intended to imply that Bab al-Mandeb strait, as well as the Strait of Hormuz, are under Iranian influence."

"Hamas is fighting Israel within the borders of the conflict, while the Houthi and Iranian operations involve cross-border attacks with missiles, drones and the closure of the sea straits," he said.

Iranian orders

The Houthis have been engaged in acts of piracy for years, political analyst Mahmoud al-Taher told Al-Fassel.

In October 2016, the group attacked Emirati HSV-2 vessel "Swift," firing two missiles towards the US destroyer USS Mason the same month.

In January 2017, the Houthis attacked a Saudi frigate with three boats, killing two of its crew members.

"There have been many such piracy operations, including one against the Emirati ship Rawabi, and most recently this Japanese vessel, which the group said is Israeli," al-Taher said.

The Houthis are not working alone, he stressed, "but rather act on the orders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and are incapable of carrying out more of these attacks without the IRGC's assistance."

"Iran wants to prove that it has been able to control the international shipping waterway, and is capable of harming everyone, while Hamas does not benefit in any way," he said.

Iran's main goal is to be "the dominant force with regard to piracy in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb strait," Deputy Minister of Justice Faisal al-Majeedi told Al-Fassel.

Iran wants to control oil revenues and influence global trade, he said.

Iran's efforts to exert its control over Bab al-Mandeb via its proxies will affect several countries, foremost among them Egypt, al-Majeedi said, adding that Iran seeks to undermine stability in territorial waters and the region in general.

Al-Majeedi noted that the Houthis' attacks "did not achieve anything significant in relation to the Gaza war."

"The world must become aware of the truth about the Houthis, namely their killing of children, bombing of mosques, and displacement of four million Yemenis, as well as besieging of the city of Taez for the eighth year," he said.

"These actions do not qualify it to be a supporter of Gaza, and these actions cannot whitewash its ugly image, given its violations against Yemenis," he said.