American magazine: Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are in line with an Iranian strategy to expand its influence in the Horn of Africa

The American magazine Newlines considered that the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea are in line with a broader Iranian strategy to expand Tehran's influence throughout Africa, from the Horn of Africa to the Sahel region, similar to similar tactics it used in Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, stressing that the Houthis are working to destabilize the sea routes to frustrate any unified front against their interests on the other side of the sea.

According to an analysis by the magazine, translated by “Yemeni Youth Net,” these accounts have brought together strange bedfellows: the Houthis in Yemen and the Somali al-Shabaab movement. The Houthis and al-Shabaab, both designated terrorist organizations by the United States, have forged ties in recent months, working together to smuggle weapons and carry out other illicit activities from money laundering to disrupting international shipments.

Global attention has shifted to the Horn of Africa, where Iran-allied Houthi forces in Yemen have targeted cargo ships passing through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, underscoring the vulnerability of this vital international trade corridor.

Instability in the region has also become a growing concern for world powers, prompting an increase in military and security cooperation agreements aimed at securing these routes, countering Iran's influence and limiting arms smuggling in the region.

The analysis stressed the importance of understanding the Houthi attacks as part of the ongoing developments in the Horn of Africa region, considering that these attacks have a dual purpose on both sides of the Red Sea.

In Yemen, the author does not rule out that the attacks are part of a strategy to consolidate Houthi rule by rallying people behind the Palestinian cause and “whitewashing” the image of their local and regional authority as an Iranian-backed sectarian militia that seized power by force.

On the other side of the sea, the Houthis are making their presence felt as disruptors near some of the world’s most vital choke points, with the goal of eventually emerging as inescapable partners in the evolving security landscape of the Horn of Africa.

The magazine considered that the cooperation between the Houthis and the Somali Al-Shabaab movement continues a previous tradition of coordination between forces in Yemen and the Horn of Africa, exploiting old networks that also operated under previous regimes in Yemen.

Despite ideological differences, the two groups also share common enemies and are united by deep-rooted and resilient ties across the Red Sea. Current patterns in that region, including Houthi activities along the Red Sea, are likely to persist because they are rooted in entrenched local dynamics.

Many of the power dynamics in the Red Sea and Africa are new, but how they will ultimately unfold remains to be seen. At present, this shifting landscape has created unlikely alliances, such as between Egypt and Turkey, or between the Houthis and al-Shabaab, while also dividing the Gulf states over developments in the Horn of Africa and on the Nile.