By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-02-15

ADEN -- Control over coastal and inland smuggling routes that serve as conduits for the movement of weapons and gas serve as the unifying force that brings ideological opponents al-Qaeda and the Houthis together, experts said.

The pragmatic alliance between the Iran-backed Houthis, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Somali al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab centers on securing vital smuggling routes along Yemen's Red Sea coast and inland.

These groups have set aside their differences to maintain critical supply lines, establishing a joint operations room overseen by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), political analyst Mahmoud al-Taher told Al-Fassel.

In addition to facilitating the movement of arms around the region, he said, these supply lines enhance the Houthis' efforts to control strategic oil and gas resources and funnel revenue away from Yemen's legitimate government.

The Houthis and al-Qaeda have created an extensive and lucrative weapons trafficking network between Yemen and Somalia, per the CTC Sentinel, a counterterrorism research publication.

Since 2023, the Houthis have asserted greater control over these arms flows, using weapons and promises of drone access to secure support while maintaining supply chains for their own drone and missile programs, it said.

Much of the materiel transshipped from Somalia is brought ashore in Yemen's Lahij province, it said, noting that "smuggling is a significant source of income for the tribal militias that control most of Lahij where AQAP is also active."

The routes begin near Ras al-Arah and pass through al-Subhaia into Lahij's northern mountains, which abut Taez, Ad Dali and al-Bayda provinces, it said.

Smugglers operating in Lahij also are involved in the trafficking of drugs and humans, it added, noting that "the Houthis, AQAP, al-Shabaab, Iran, and smugglers have developed a relationship from which all benefit."

Documented cooperation

In March 2021, Yemen's government presented comprehensive documentation to the United Nations Security Council about Houthi-AQAP cooperation, political analyst Abdullah Ismail told Al-Fassel.

This included evidence of AQAP fighting alongside the Houthis in Marib, Saada and al-Jawf.

AQAP has attacked government and Southern Transitional Council forces several times since 2022, while halting attacks in Houthi-controlled areas, analyst Faisal Ahmed told Al-Fassel.

The alliance between al-Qaeda and the Houthis has intensified since early 2023, with both engaging in prisoner exchanges and sharing intelligence on "common enemies," per the CTC Sentinel.

The Houthis have supplied AQAP with missiles and drones used in attacks against government forces in Shabwa and Abyan provinces, Ahmed said, as the Iran-mediated alliance continues to strengthen.

Tehran continues to host al-Qaeda leader Saif al-Adel and to encourage AQAP leader Saad al-Awlaki to cooperate with Iranian allies against common regional adversaries, he said.