By Al-Fassel | 2025-10-07

The covert alliance of terror between the Houthis, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS undermines Yemen’s sovereignty. It also disrupts peace efforts, deepens divisions, and leaves the population vulnerable to relentless violence and instability.

Houthis’ actions have weaponized extremist groups to serve their military and intelligence operations, violating international counterterrorism laws and destabilizing the country.

By transforming prisons into recruitment hubs, the militia has “recycled” Al-Qaeda and ISIS detainees into their ranks, turning them into operatives and agents.

Eroding Yemen’s Sovereignty

The Houthis’ “terrorist recycling” strategy strikes at the heart of Yemen’s sovereignty. By releasing and arming hundreds of detainees accused of terrorism, the militia has empowered extremist groups to operate outside the control of the Yemeni government.

These operatives are deployed to battlefronts in key regions like Marib, Al-Bayda, Shabwa, and Hadramout, undermining security and fueling chaos.

This strategy has revived sleeper cells and enabled extremist groups to destabilize liberated areas, reversing progress made in restoring security.

The Houthis’ actions have fractured Yemen’s social fabric, deepening divisions between communities and governorates, and creating new fault lines in an already fragile nation.

Disrupting Peace Efforts

By fostering covert alliances with Al-Qaeda and ISIS, the Houthis have introduced new layers of complexity to the conflict, making reconciliation and negotiations increasingly difficult.

Interestingly, the Houthis justify their partnerships through reinterpretations of religious texts, promoting ideologies like “necessary alliance” and “common enemy” to their fighters.

This manipulation of jihadist concepts not only legitimizes their alliances but entrenches extremist ideologies within their ranks, further polarizing the country and fueling violence.

Fueling Violence and Instability

Consequences of this strategy are devastating for Yemen’s population. The report warns that the Houthis’ policy has revived dormant extremist networks, turning Yemen into a breeding ground for terrorism.

Sleeper cells have reemerged in liberated governorates, contributing to the fall of districts in Marib, Al-Jawf, and Al-Bayda. This has triggered mass displacement and created a cycle of violence that leaves Yemen’s population trapped in perpetual suffering.

Need for Action

A recommendation of the report is to urge the international community to act decisively against the Houthis’ “terrorist recycling” strategy.

It calls for the classification of this policy as a war crime, stricter oversight of prisons in Houthi-controlled areas, and sanctions on implicated leaders.

Findings of the report also holds Iran accountable for supporting this destructive project, which continues to destabilize Yemen and threatens its neighbors.

As sleeper cells reemerge and extremist groups gain strength, Yemen’s sovereignty and stability hang in the balance.

Houthis’ exploitation of terrorism threatens to plunge the country into deeper chaos, leaving its population vulnerable to unending oppression and insecurity.