CAIRO, Sept 9: Iran backed armed groups in Yemen and Iraq are increasingly coordinating their operations against Saudi Arabia and other US allies in the Gulf, according to regional officials and security sources, signalling a potentially dangerous expansion of the conflict.
The emerging cooperation became apparent in July when Saudi Arabia and the United States launched airstrikes against Iran-aligned militias in Iraq after accusing them of carrying out drone attacks targeting Saudi oil facilities. The strikes were claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, another group aligned with Tehran.
Regional officials told The Associated Press that the Houthis assisted Iraqi militias in planning and carrying out the two-day drone offensive, representing a significant step in coordination between the two groups.
The development comes after years of Iranian efforts to build an extensive network of allied armed groups across the Middle East. Several of Tehran’s most powerful partners, including Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, suffered substantial losses during the conflicts that followed Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Regional officials and analysts say Tehran is increasingly relying on its partners in Iraq and Yemen to put pressure on Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries hosting US military forces. The strategy could raise the costs of the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran in February while allowing Tehran to operate through allied groups.
However, the approach carries considerable risks. A fresh wave of Houthi attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure on Tuesday raised concerns that the fighting could trigger a return to full-scale conflict between the Houthis and Riyadh.
Iraq has also ordered armed groups to surrender their weapons by the end of September. Several powerful Iran-backed militias have rejected the demand, adding another potential source of tension. Meanwhile, renewed US efforts to isolate Iran economically could further intensify the confrontation.
Growing cooperation between Iraqi militias and Houthis
Two Saudi officials, citing intelligence assessments, and a senior Iraqi security official said Houthi representatives participated in the planning of the Iraqi drone operation. According to the officials, Houthi emissaries were present in an operations room operated by Iraqi militias.
Saudi and US forces responded with joint airstrikes that reportedly killed at least 20 Iraqi fighters, six Iranian advisers and at least one Houthi official. A Houthi representative and an Iraqi militia member confirmed the death of the Houthi official.
A US military official said Houthi members had also been killed during earlier American strikes in Iraq. Washington is particularly concerned about the presence of Houthi personnel in the country and their potential ability to organise attacks against other nations, including Saudi Arabia.
Two officials from Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella organisation formally incorporated into the country’s security apparatus, denied involvement in the Saudi attack. They also rejected claims that the Houthis were operating with the group’s authorisation.
The officials and militia member spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly. The Houthis did not respond to requests for comment.
Military ties deepened during Gaza conflict
Relations between Iraqi militias and the Houthis reportedly strengthened during the Gaza war, when both groups coordinated attacks against Israel. Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi previously referred to the existence of a joint operations room involving allied forces.
Following US and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, Iran and allied groups began launching attacks against Gulf countries, widening the conflict and placing additional pressure on major oil-producing states that host American forces.
“Iran has a hybrid strategy in the current war,” Mahdi Mohammadi, an adviser to Iran’s parliamentary speaker, wrote on social media in June, describing Tehran’s approach as involving multiple fronts and tools.
Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the Houthis’ growing role during the Gaza conflict created opportunities for Iraqi groups to strengthen ties with them.
According to Nagi, Iraqi militias became more interested in supporting the Houthis, while the Yemen-based group began sharing military knowledge and experience with its Iraqi counterparts.
He described the strategy as effectively placing Saudi Arabia under pressure from two directions.
Houthi attacks put Saudi energy infrastructure at risk
Pressure on Riyadh has increased further since the Houthis announced a blockade targeting Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea, adding another threat to a crucial global trade route.
The Yemen-based group has carried out more than a dozen attacks against Saudi oil facilities and tankers since late July, according to conflict-monitoring organisation ACLED.
On Tuesday, the Houthis launched attacks against oil and other facilities in southern Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities said more than 70 people, including women and children, were wounded.
The attacks have also forced Saudi Arabia to alter the movement of its oil tankers. ACLED reported that vessels have adopted a “dark” transit strategy in the Red Sea, switching off tracking systems to make their movements harder to monitor.
Saudi oil exports face mounting pressure
Saudi Arabia had redirected a significant portion of its crude exports toward the Red Sea after Iran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz. As Houthi attacks intensified, the kingdom began moving more oil north toward the Suez Canal and Egypt’s SUMED pipeline.
Data from global shipping monitor Kpler showed that flows through the SUMED pipeline increased from around 650,000 barrels per day in June to more than 1.9 million barrels per day in August.
The Houthis demonstrated their ability to threaten this alternative route last month when they struck a Saudi tanker in the northern Red Sea with a missile. The vessel had reportedly sailed from Yanbu toward the Suez Canal, roughly 1,000 kilometres from territory controlled by the Houthis.
Adam Baron, a Yemen expert at the New America think tank, said the Houthis appeared prepared to accept short-term costs in pursuit of longer-term strategic gains, including expanding their influence along the Red Sea coastline.
He warned that the path toward renewed large-scale fighting appeared increasingly difficult to reverse, particularly as Washington remains focused on Iran and Saudi Arabia remains reluctant to launch another direct military campaign in Yemen.
Houthis have longstanding reasons to confront Riyadh
The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014. A year later, Saudi Arabia joined Yemen’s internationally recognised government in a military campaign against the rebels, amid concerns that the group could develop into a Hezbollah-style force on the kingdom’s southern border.
The conflict has killed at least 150,000 people, according to UN estimates, while years of fighting and economic disruption have pushed millions of Yemenis toward severe humanitarian hardship.
A ceasefire that largely held from 2022 has now deteriorated as hostilities intensify.
The Saudi-led blockade imposed pressure on Houthi-controlled areas for years while also worsening conditions for civilians. The rebels have repeatedly responded to increased pressure with military escalation.
Elisabeth Kendall, a Yemen expert at Cambridge University’s Girton College, said renewed fighting could give the Houthis an opportunity to expand their control into energy-rich parts of eastern Yemen.
Houthi arsenal adds to regional concerns
The Houthis, who control large parts of northern and central Yemen, have developed an increasingly sophisticated arsenal. They have also been accused of obtaining advanced weapons through smuggling networks that have operated despite the blockade and a UN arms embargo.
Iran denies supplying weapons to the rebels, although Iranian-made systems have been identified on battlefields and in intercepted shipments.
The Houthi arsenal includes ballistic and cruise missiles, drones and unmanned underwater vehicles, giving the group the ability to threaten both land-based infrastructure and commercial shipping.
Saudi-backed forces in Yemen are confronting the Houthis on several fronts, including around the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeida and Taiz province. The rebels have also launched attacks around Mokha, a major Red Sea port held by forces aligned with Yemen’s government.
Saudi Arabia has so far appeared reluctant to resume a direct military campaign against the Houthis. But analysts warn that continued attacks on Saudi territory and energy infrastructure could eventually force Riyadh to respond more forcefully.