The escalation between the Houthis and Yemeni government forces continues, but a new report reveals mediation efforts between the sides—with an unlikely broker chosen from nearly 2,000 kilometers away in the Gaza Strip.
Sources in Yemen told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, that the Al-Islah party—part of the Muslim Brotherhood and a component of Yemen’s parliament and government forces—initiated several internal and external mediation efforts with the Houthis. The most prominent mediator: Hamas.
1+Al-Islah’s mediation efforts came amid fears of a major attack by the Houthi terrorist organization, which has recently begun expanding the confrontation. Hamas, which is also affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and has strengthened its ties with Iranian actors in recent years—including the Houthis—was apparently viewed as a suitable intermediary between the sides.
Ultimately, however, Hamas’s mediation failed. Several sources from the terrorist organization controlling Sanaa added that a decision to further escalate the situation has not yet been made—but has not been ruled out either. The confrontation is currently centered on the city of Marib, east of Sanaa. Al-Islah controls the city but fears that, following several smaller clashes, the Houthis are preparing to launch a major assault that could bring Marib under their control.
1+The report of Hamas’s attempted mediation comes as fighting between the Houthis, Saudi-backed forces and Yemen’s government continues to escalate elsewhere in the country. Most recently, a Yemeni military official reported that a Houthi drone strike targeted government force positions in the Hadramout region of southeastern Yemen for the first time during the current escalation. The official said Thursday that two people were killed and 15 others wounded in the Houthi attack.