Houthis Finally Open a Second Front in the Iran War

The Iranians seem to have finally, after many unsuccessful attempts, dragged Yemen’s Houthis into the fight. Sort of.

From the outset of Operation Epic Fury, the Iranian regime lobbied the Houthis both publicly and in private to open a second maritime front — complementing Tehran’s efforts to block traffic in the Strait of Hormuz with a Houthi-led assault on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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The Iranians seem to have finally, after many unsuccessful attempts, dragged Yemen’s Houthis into the fight. Sort of.

From the outset of Operation Epic Fury, the Iranian regime lobbied the Houthis both publicly and in private to open a second maritime front — complementing Tehran’s efforts to block traffic in the Strait of Hormuz with a Houthi-led assault on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.