The escalating war between Iran, the US, and Israel, which erupted in February 2026, risks dragging Yemen into a wider conflict, as it already has with the Gulf, Jordan, and Turkey. The Houthis, as part of the “Axis of Resistance,” have threatened to attack U.S. warships and Red Sea shipping to support Tehran in the 2026 Iran War, risking massive military retaliation, economic damage, a deepening humanitarian crisis, and internal instability. The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, warned that the cycle of retaliation is pulling Yemen deeper into the regional conflict, jeopardizing its hopes for peace and stability, and distracting from the urgent need to address Yemen’s own internal crisis.
On 12 March, the leader of Yemen’s Houthi militia, Abdul-malik al-Houthi, said that his group was ready for confrontation, pledging full solidarity with Tehran against US-Israeli airstrikes. He also stressed that his fighters are ready to escalate when required. This explains why the military, economic, and medical measures the Houthis have taken in Sana’a and other Houthi-controlled cities, even prior to the recent U.S.-Israel war with Iran. The late entry into the Iran War was broadly believed that the Houthis were awaiting directions from Tehran to join the conflict.
The Houthis Join the Iran War
As had long been anticipated, the group announced on 28 March that they would be joining the Iran War, claiming to back the resistance fronts in Palestine, to appeal to their base inside Yemen, when in fact they are backing their allies in Iraq, Lebanon, and particularly Iran. The Houthi escalation came amid stern warnings from the Yemeni government regarding the serious ramifications of the Houthi actions, which could embroil Yemen in further turmoil. The prior destruction of Yemen’s vital power and port infrastructure due to Israel’s attacks on Yemen, in response to Houthi strikes during the Gaza war and Iran-Israel 12-day War last year, is a stark reminder of the potential consequences.
Notably, the recent Houthi escalation in the region coincides with the end of the United Nations Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA), established in January 2019 following the Stockholm Agreement to monitor a ceasefire and support the agreement in the Houthi-controlled city and port of Hudaydah, Yemen. The United Nations Security Council, by resolution 2813 (2026), decided to close this mission by 31 March 2026. Thanks to the Houthis, the Hudaydah Agreement has never been fully implemented, and UNMHA has found it increasingly difficult to carry out its mandate in recent years. This gives the Houthis even more free rein to further militarize the city of Hudaydah and threaten the Strait of Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea.
A Nation Pays the Price
It is expected that Israel will retaliate against the Houthis’ attacks, as it has in previous instances when Houthis joined the battle during the war in Gaza. When asked about the Houthis, Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said, “We are preparing for a multifront war”. A dramatic escalation would occur if the Houthis extend their attacks to Red Sea shipping, as they have repeatedly warned they could close a crucial waterway at the southern entrance of the Red Sea, disrupting global shipping and oil supplies, a route through which nearly 15% of global maritime trade passes. Such an escalation would likely compel a substantial response from the United States, and possibly others, inflicting severe damage on the already worn-out infrastructure in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled areas, including power plants, seaports, airports, and oil facilities.
On 18 March 2026, the United Nations and humanitarian partners published the 2026 Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP). The plan seeks US$2.16 billion to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to 12 million people across Yemen. After more than a decade of crisis, humanitarian needs in Yemen continue to rise amid prolonged conflict and subsequent economic decline, displacement, recurrent epidemics, climate shocks, and funding cuts. In 2026, 22.3 million people require humanitarian assistance and protection services, including 5.2 million internally displaced people, as well as migrants and refugees. In a recent statement, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg warned that (Houthi) escalatory action risks drawing Yemen into the regional conflict, which would only deepen its economic consequences and prolong the suffering of civilians.
The Peace Process is Endangered
This development also risks derailing fragile peace efforts in Yemen. Prior to the Gaza war of October 7, 2023, a peace roadmap, brokered by Saudi Arabia and introduced by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, had been negotiated and was about to be signed between the Yemeni government and the Houthis. However, Houthi involvement in the Gaza war and attacks on maritime shipping in the Red Sea between 2023 and 2025 halted the deal. The renewed Houthi regional escalation and involvement in the Iran War could deepen the already internal instability, widen mistrust between the parties, and make any potential peace agreement in Yemen even harder to achieve.
Ambassador Marwan Ali Noman is a Senior Fellow at the Washington Center for Yemeni Studies and a former Deputy Permanent Representative of Yemen to the UN from 2016 to 2024. He can be found on X at @MarwanAli Noman.
