Aden (South24 Center)

The Iran-backed Houthi militia has, in recent days, mobilized armed tribal gatherings across several governorates under its control in North Yemen, in a move that reflects the group’s preparations for a possible phase of military escalation. The mobilization came days after its leader, Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, hinted at action against what he described as “aggression, blockade, and occupation.”

The governorates of Saada, Dhamar, Hajjah, Raymah, and Sanaa witnessed armed tribal meetings organized by the group. During these gatherings, loyal tribal figures announced that they were mandating the Houthi leader to take what they described as the “necessary options” to end the “blockade” and “occupation.”

The most prominent mobilizations were concentrated in Sanaa and Saada governorates, including gatherings by the Hamdan and Bani Hashish tribes on June 18. Video footage broadcast by Houthi media showed hundreds of armed tribesmen carrying medium and light weapons, alongside four-wheel-drive vehicles.

قبائل بني حشيش في صنعاء

استجابة لدعوة السيد القائد وإعلانًا للجهوزية والاستنفار لإنهاء العدوان والحصار#انفروا_خفافا_وثقالا pic.twitter.com/R1aKK6ye3L

— نصر الدين عامر | Nasruddin Amer (@Nasr_Amer1) June 29, 2026

The meetings also called for the continued opening of military training centers and urged tribesmen to enroll in them.

This mobilization comes within a broader context of Houthi escalation since Abdulmalik Al-Houthi’s June 25 speech, in which he threatened to target any Israeli activity in Somaliland and linked this to what he described as efforts to control the Gulf of Aden, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Red Sea.

In the same speech, Al-Houthi stressed that his group would continue confronting what it calls “aggression, blockade, and occupation.”

Read more: Houthi Leader Signals Internal War Readiness, Threatens Israeli Activity in Somaliland

Over recent years, the Houthis have used tribal structures in areas under their control as tools for military mobilization through armed gatherings, ideological courses, and combat training programs, particularly in governorates with strong tribal structures and a predominantly Zaydi background, such as Saada, Hajjah, Dhamar, and Raymah.

The group has also promoted the so-called “General Mobilization Forces” as a parallel framework to absorb tribal and civilian fighters and link them to the frontlines since 2023, exploiting the Gaza war and escalation against Israel, amid the continued state of no-war, no-peace that has prevailed in Yemen since the UN-brokered truce in 2022.

However, the Houthis’ attempt to project broad tribal alignment behind their leadership comes as tribal tensions escalate in Al-Jawf Governorate, northern Yemen. This follows the declaration of a tribal mobilization call, known locally as a “Nakaf,” by Sheikh Hamad bin Rashid Fadgham Al-Hazmi, one of the most prominent sheikhs of the Dahm tribes, against Houthi-linked arms dealer Fares Manaa, over the case of the woman known as “Mira Saddam Hussein” and allegations of detention and pressure in Sanaa.

Read more: Al-Jawf Tribes Escalate Against Houthi-Linked Arms Dealer Fares Manaa

Tribes from Al-Jawf and other areas have begun arriving in the Government-controlled Al-Rayyan area east of Al-Jawf in response to Al-Hazmi’s call, in an unprecedented development on Yemen’s tribal scene since the outbreak of the war.