Security sources in Yemen have told the Emirati website Aram News that senior officials from Iran's Quds Force and the Houthi terror organization have conducted high-level coordination over the past two weeks.
According to the sources, this coordination intensified through a series of secret meetings focused on division of responsibilities and readiness for response scenarios if Iran comes under direct attack by Israel and the US. The sources noted that the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait (strategic waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden) featured prominently in the discussions, as they constitute a sensitive area from an international perspective.
Graduated escalation
According to the sources, the Houthis presented a range of options that included limited threats and measures to disrupt vessel traffic to Israel, all according to a graduated escalation. It was also claimed that the discussion addressed the possibility of operations in the Horn of Africa region, an area where Israel recently recognized the state of Somaliland.
According to the sources, the meetings led to clear operational conclusions reflecting the pro-Iranian axis's transition from a stage of "verbal deterrence" to a stage of "operational readiness" through establishment of joint command centers.
The sources reported that coordination between Iran and the Houthis came after a joint assessment. According to this assessment, the "window of calm" is closing, and before any extensive strike on Tehran, there will be an attempt to neutralize its regional proxies, primarily Hezbollah. Therefore, this requires activation of "alternative support arenas" such as Yemen.
It was subsequently reported that Quds Force officers participated in meetings with senior Houthi officials, and discussions focused on scenarios of "graduated response" rather than comprehensive confrontation. The sources noted that the sides discussed ways to raise the price of any attack on Iran without exhausting capabilities prematurely, thus allowing the axis to control the pace of escalation.
It was further reported that the meetings between Iranians and Houthis emphasized the "principle of multiple fronts with low cost and high impact," meaning activation of pressure levers that would lead to maritime and logistical damage without being drawn into a large-scale ground campaign in Yemen.
