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After the U.S. decision to re-designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization, the Yemeni legitimacy finds itself required to manage interactions between various parties to achieve comprehensive peace.

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However, concerns remain among Yemenis about losing this historical opportunity.

Yemenis, including experts in terrorist groups, agree that the classification of the Houthis will not be effective unless followed by “strict” military or economic deterrent measures capable of having a tangible and decisive impact on the group.

Military Deterrence

At the military deterrence level, regional media sources spoke about a new plan by former U.S. President Donald Trump, which involves ending the “Guardian of Prosperity” operations and forming a new international coalition to deliver a fatal blow to the Houthis, similar to the military operations against ISIS.

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Locally, the Presidential Council recently approved a comprehensive deterrence strategy against the Houthis, which includes political, economic, and military tracks. However, this significant step requires first aligning and resolving stalled issues in the South, according to experts.

Legal Foundations for Deterrence

The reclassification of Houthi militias as a foreign terrorist organization closes a legal loophole regarding the freezing of their supporters’ funds, while establishing a legal basis for broader international and regional actions against them.

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But how can Yemen leverage this point? This question is answered by Khaled Salman, the former editor-in-chief of “Al-Thawri,” who says: “There is a necessity for the local orientations of the legitimacy and its regional allies to intertwine with the international approach of the Trump administration, which envisions creating a new international coalition.”

Salman continues: “What we know by deduction, based on analyzing Trump’s previous positions, is that a new coalition will be formed, moving from reaction to proactive action to regain the initiative, with the implementation of a decisive plan through a blitzkrieg strategy.”

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He explains that there is a complete reversal of the conflict in Yemen, where the militias are now seen as a group similar to ISIS, stressing that “there is no dialogue with terrorism.” This is reflected in American messages to regional countries urging them to sever ties with the Houthis and expel their leaders.

He points to the necessity of international involvement through “rehabilitating the army and local forces, supporting intensified efforts to unify the overall effort to implement the part allocated to these forces within the context of the comprehensive change plan,” reminding that “the Houthis, in addition to being a regional and international problem, are primarily a Yemeni problem par excellence.”

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Necessity of Consensus

The Houthis’ crossing of what many global capitals consider to be “red lines” has made them a global challenge, especially after the group, as the first terrorist organization, launched anti-ship ballistic missiles from a country occupying a sensitive geopolitical position on four strategic maritime passages.

However, this international shift was not fully captured or optimally exploited, and the Yemeni government appeared constrained by regional positions, a critical and pivotal moment for legitimacy, according to terrorist group expert Saeed Bakran.

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Bakran urged the Yemeni legitimate government to “overcome this impasse and deal with Houthi militias with great flexibility, playing strategically by widening the gap between the group’s hawks and doves to dismantle it from within.”

He added: “This option requires a high degree of harmony within the legitimacy, which is the most important step now, as the highest level of agreement within the corridors and wings of legitimacy will pave the way for speeding up the battle to deter the Houthi militias.”

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He concluded: “We must be candid, the northern-southern convergence is the key to the right direction, and we will continue to say openly that the road to Sanaa passes through Aden in terms of national equations,” also referring to the need for a model capable of filling the gap after the cleansing of northern Yemen from Houthi insurgency.

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