By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2024-05-10

ADEN -- The Iran-backed Houthis' collaboration with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) threatens to further destabilize Yemen, analysts said.

The Houthis have enemies in common with al-Qaeda and some common objectives, they note.

There is evidence the two groups have collaborated over the past year, The Telegraph reported May 5.

The Iran-backed group is reportedly helping AQAP by giving it drones and releasing key figures from jail, it said.

Safeguarding Yemen

"The reciprocity between the two groups came about by virtue of the presence of al-Qaeda's leader Saif al-Adel in Iran," political analyst Fares al-Beel told Al-Fassel.

In Iran, al-Adel reportedly lived under the protection of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has directly assisted the Houthis in Yemen, he said.

Al-Adel sent one of his sons to Yemen, who entered the country with the help of the Houthis, al-Beel said.

In Yemen, his son "concluded agreements between AQAP and the Houthis," he said, including "one stipulating that al-Qaeda not take part in fighting against the Houthis and focus on joint training."

If al-Qaeda and the Houthis were to gain control of Yemen, the state would lose all security, stability and political, economic and social progress, al-Beel said.

Past examples of al-Qaeda wreaking havoc in countries where it established a foothold abound, most recently in Afghanistan but also in Somalia and the Sahel region in Africa.

Deputy Minister of Justice Faisal al-Majeedi told Al-Fassel there are frequent reports about the Houthis' cooperation with al-Qaeda.

"There are even reports about the Houthis communicating with armed militias in the Horn of Africa, such as al-Shabaab in Somalia," he said.

They also communicate with groups in Nigeria, he added, "and both sides cooperate in smuggling weapons and other contraband and also coordinate piracy operations in the Red Sea."