In the latest episode of The New Region’s GeoSpace podcast, host Mohammed A. Salih spoke with Yemen expert Fatima Abo Alasrar, a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, about the Houthi offensive and its wider regional consequences.

The Houthis’ push toward the Bab el-Mandab Strait has given the group greater leverage over one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.

“They were able to threaten the Red Sea and the maritime shipping lanes for a very long time,” Abo Alasrar said. “Getting their hands on that location gives them that type of permanent leverage that they’re seeking.”

She argued that the offensive should not be viewed solely as an internal Yemeni development, pointing to the Houthis’ relationship with Iran.

“The Houthis are part and parcel of the Axis of Resistance,” she said. “They receive substantial amount of assistance from Iran.”

Abo Alasrar said the latest escalation followed several years of relative calm in Yemen and was connected to the broader confrontation between Washington and Tehran.

“What unlocked this Pandora box of problems in Yemen was the American intervention in the region and against Iran,” she said. “Tehran took advantage of that to impose economic costs on the United States in this fight.”

The Houthis’ growing manpower has also been central to their battlefield gains. Abo Alasrar said the movement has invested heavily in recruitment, particularly as weapons shipments and missile components have faced increased interdiction.

“The Houthis, as a way to circumvent this, have invested completely in manpower, in militia power, in recruitment pipelines,” she said. “The entire makeup of northern Yemen is changing right in front of our eyes.”

Beyond the Red Sea coast, she warned that the Houthis could seek to expand toward Yemen’s energy-producing regions.

“For the Houthis, what’s really important are access to oil and gas resources in Marib and Shabwah,” she said. “The acquisition of Marib, if that were to happen by the Houthis, would end Yemen as we know it.”

The developments also carry major implications for Saudi Arabia. Abo Alasrar said Riyadh could ultimately consider renewed engagement with the Houthis, but questioned how sustainable such an arrangement would be.

“Reconciliation might be on the table with the Houthis,” she said. “The question is for how long.”

For Iran, meanwhile, the strategic value of the Houthi advance lies partly in the leverage provided by control over maritime routes.

“Iran is no longer just negotiating based on one strait,” Abo Alasrar said. “It’s negotiating now for two straits, Hormuz and Bab el-Mandab. That’s an immense amount of leverage.”

Ultimately, she warned that the consequences could extend far beyond Yemen.

“What happens in Yemen rarely stays in Yemen,” Abo Alasrar said. “The real problem is the rest of Yemen.”