Houthi leader warns of full-scale escalation if provoked

The group's 'General Mobilization Forces' have announced full combat readiness, comprising hundreds of thousands of personnel trained and armed over recent years, with emphasis on coordination with the Houthi-affiliated armed forces. This military mobilization and heightened rhetoric are seen by observers as linked to recent understandings between Iran and the United States, potentially granting Iran's allies greater maneuverability.

Al-Houthi's speech, marking the Islamic New Year, also focused on 'restoring full sovereignty' and ending the 'blockade and dependency.' The Houthis have praised 'Iranian victories against America and Israel' and affirmed their commitment to the 'unity of fronts,' referencing the growing connection with the regional Iranian axis. This escalation is also viewed as an attempt by the Houthis to reshape the internal and regional situation amid stagnation in Yemen's peace process.

Domestically, the Houthis are linking military mobilization to the Palestinian cause, using slogans like 'Al-Aqsa Flood' for recruitment programs, employing religious rhetoric to bolster their project and justify societal militarization. Externally, the group continues to hold Saudi Arabia responsible for suspended salary payments in Houthi-controlled areas, demanding payment from Yemeni oil and gas revenues and the lifting of restrictions on ports and Sanaa airport. Internally, the rhetoric implicitly threatens critics of living conditions by labeling dissent as 'treason.' The escalation raises concerns about the collapse of the fragile understandings established by the 2022 truce.