The Houthis are redeploying forces along major frontlines in Hodeidah and Marib Governorates and have increased attacks on the coalition of anti-Houthi groups aligned with the Yemeni government in recent weeks. The Houthis also appear to be preparing for an emergency, and it is uncertain if this effort is related to domestic activity or potential US strikes on Iran.
The Iran-backed terror group is undertaking a range of emergency preparations, according to Yemeni journalist Fares al Hemyari. Hemyari reports that medical centers across Houthi-controlled northern Yemen have been put on alert, and government facilities in the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa and other cities have been prepared as shelters. While the Houthis have not provided an explanation for these actions, they come amidst a buildup of American forces in the Middle East ahead of a possible military action against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Yemeni media reported on February 23 that the Houthis killed six fighters and wounded another 13 from the government-aligned Zaraniq Brigades in the southeastern corner of Hodeidah Governorate. This territory is a key nexus between interior governorates on the southern edge of Houthi control and the southern end of the Red Sea coastal plain. Reports say that the Houthis suffered an undisclosed number of casualties in the February 23 attack. The Zaraniq Brigades said that it again repelled an attack launched by the Houthis on February 25.
The Zaraniq Brigades is a military formation comprised largely of members of the Zaraniq tribe that operates under the National Resistance Forces (NRF), a coalition of forces opposed to the Houthis on the Red Sea coast. Yemen's west coast, which is controlled by the Houthis in the north and government-aligned forces in the south, is crucial territory for both sides, as it provides access to the vital economic waterway.
The Media Center for the Yemeni Armed Forces reported Houthi attacks along Marib fronts on February 15 and February 18, which resulted in the death of at least two fighters on February 18. The Houthis initially attacked southern and northern fronts in Marib governorate on February 15 but focused on the southern front during the subsequent attack three days later, using small arms, artillery, mortars, and vehicle-mounted weapons. The Yemeni Armed Forces said it repelled these attacks.
The Houthis control the western segment of Marib Governorate, while the government controls its central and eastern portions, which are oil-rich territory. The Iran-backed terror group has been eager to expand into this area for its resources and central location in Yemen.
The anti-Houthi coalition in Yemen is still recovering from divisions exacerbated by the advance of southern secessionists throughout eastern Yemen in December. Following this offensive, the Presidential Leadership Council, Yemen's executive body, directed the formation of a new government with Saudi support. Under this government, the Ministry of Defense has expressed its intent to unify anti-Houthi forces under the Yemeni Armed Forces and end the fractured leadership and decision-making within the anti-Houthi military ecosystem.
