Iran helping Houthis: How Tehran is hitting Saudi Arabia without fighting directly

Iran is aiding Yemen's Houthi rebels, enabling them to strike Saudi Arabia indirectly, according to a Wall Street Journal report. This assistance goes beyond supplying weapons, as Iran has also shared intelligence and provided tactical guidance. The Wall Street Journal quotes Adam Baron, a Yemen expert at the New America policy institute, who notes that Iran's support has directly contributed to the Houthis' recent rapid advances.

Iran's help includes training in advanced weaponry, tactical guidance, and the development of locally manufactured drones and missiles. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah are reportedly aiding the Houthis in acquiring technical expertise in missile systems and weapons production, Reuters reports. Andreas Krieg, a security studies lecturer at King's College London, elaborates that Iran's assistance aims to diminish the Houthis' reliance on direct weapons shipments from Iran.

Danny Citrinowicz, a former head of Israel's Iran branch of defence intelligence, describes the operational relationship between Tehran and the Houthis as "very, very strong," stating that Iran shares a strategic interest in the Houthis' success, which is detrimental to Saudi Arabia and raises oil prices. The Iran-Houthi connection has evolved from shared political interests to a deeper military alliance over the past two decades, with Iran's support accelerating during Yemen's political turmoil following the 2011 Arab Spring.