Iran-backed Houthi forces have deployed reinforcements across several fronts in Yemen and intensified recruitment efforts as they prepare for a possible offensive by internationally recognised government forces, Yemeni military sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The latest troop movements suggest the Houthis are uncertain about where a potential attack may occur, with forces reportedly being deployed to multiple regions under their control while fortifications are strengthened.
According to the sources, the developments come as Yemen's internationally recognised government seeks to consolidate its military command and overcome political divisions, raising expectations of renewed operations against Houthi-held territory.
The Houthis have also reportedly stepped up recruitment, including the forced enlistment of minors, citing the need to confront what they describe as a "foreign enemy." Yemeni military sources said the group has taken advantage of economic hardship and limited employment opportunities to increase its ranks.
Accounts from prisoners released by government forces allege that some recruits were forcibly conscripted. One 14-year-old said he was taken from a market in Ibb province, where he had been working, and sent to the Dhale front. Another said he was seized from a market and deployed to the al-Jawf front, while a third claimed he was removed from school and told he would be sent to fight Israel.
Yemeni military sources also said the Houthis had coordinated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to reinforce rocket and drone launch sites stretching from the highlands overlooking Hodeidah and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to the Gulf of Aden.
According to the sources, the group has converted Kamaran Island, off the coast of Hodeidah's Salif district, into a base for launching drones, missiles and explosive-laden boats.
The same sources said the Houthis also attempted to establish control over Zuqar Island, which overlooks the southern Red Sea, but were repelled by government forces.
They added that government troops also thwarted a Houthi attack near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait involving drones and heavy weapons.
By Sabina Mammadli
