Why Yemen’s Houthis are staying out of Israel-US fight with Iran – for now

Yemen’s Houthi leadership cautious, fearing Israeli retaliation following past air strikes and leadership losses.

Sanaa, Yemen – The Israel-US attacks on Iran have plunged the wider Middle East region into turmoil. From Tehran, tensions have spread, affecting multiple Arab cities, including Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait City, Manama, and Beirut.

Amid this wave of military escalation hitting several countries, Yemen has remained – perhaps surprisingly – quiet. The Houthi movement, the Iran-allied de facto authority in northwestern Yemen, has made repeated attacks on US and Israeli targets since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.

But in the week since the US-Israeli attacks on Iran began on February 28, the Houthis have limited their support for Tehran to rhetoric and a mass protest denouncing the strikes.

Whether they will continue to remain detached from the conflict remains uncertain. Analysts say the rebel group’s involvement is still possible, and its current restraint appears part of a strategy of patience.

“Houthi intervention remains a possibility, and it could take the form of a phased escalation,” Luca Nevola, senior analyst for Yemen and the Gulf at the ACLED conflict monitor, told Al Jazeera. “At the current stage, the main Houthi priority remains avoiding direct US and Israeli retaliation.”