Houthis' growing presence in Iraq linked to attack on Saudi Arabia

Yemen's Houthis have expanded their presence in Iraq as they help local militants to fire missiles, The National has been told, amid suspicion they were involved in attacking Saudi Arabia from Iraqi territory.

The Iraqi government found itself in an unprecedented position this week following joint US-Saudi strikes on Iran-backed groups in the country.

The attacks came in response to two days of Iraqi militia drone strikes into the kingdom, days after the Houthi rebels had announced a blockade of Saudi shipping.

Yemen's Iran-backed rebels have not confirmed any involvement but have maintained a presence in Iraq for several years. An Iraqi official told The National they have a strong presence the country with offices and houses across the south.

“Their presence goes against the seventh article of our constitution that mandates the state must prevent its territories from being used as a base or pathway for terrorist activities,” the official said.

“Iraq has nothing to do with the Houthis. Why do they have offices and houses across Najaf?” he said.

Michael Knights of Horizon Engage, a strategic advisory firm, said one Houthi supporter appeared to have been killed in Iraq during the US-Saudi strikes. “We have seen that the Houthis maintain technical adviser teams in Iraq and these advisers are occasionally killed, as appears to have happened,” he said.

“These advisers help Iraqi groups to launch cruise missiles mainly,” Mr Knights added.

Since 2023, he said, the rebels' military mission has gained importance by “helping Iraqi groups make the jump to using new advanced cruise missiles for the first time”. By 2024, Houthi operatives were being killed in US strikes in Iraq.

The leader of the Iran-backed rebels, Abdul Malik Al Houthi, said in 2024 that a joint operation team existed between Iran-backed Iraqi militias and the Houthis. Later that year, the two sides announced their first joint operation targeting Israel as the Gaza war escalated.

In recent years, the Houthis have expanded their operations and relationships in Iraq, underlining the continued reach of the Iran-aligned “Axis of Resistance” despite setbacks suffered by members of the network, said Renad Mansour, director of the Iraqi Initiative at London’s Chatham House think tank.

The axis continues to pose a cross-border threat capable of organising activities across several fronts despite these setbacks, he told The National. Co-ordination takes place “whether the attacks come from Yemen, Lebanon or Iraq”, he said.

Iraqi authorities face pressure – both domestically and from neighbouring countries such as Saudi Arabia – to prevent armed groups from launching drones or engaging in other unauthorised activities.

The presence of the Houthis in Iraq has become increasingly visible in recent years, reflecting the group's deeper integration into the Axis of Resistance and closer co-ordination with Iraqi militias, said Ahmed Nagi, a Yemen expert at the Crisis Group.

Their presence in Iraq has evolved beyond political outreach and fund-raising efforts. “We are seeing much closer military co-ordination. On several occasions during the Houthi attacks on Israel, the group stated that its operations were co-ordinated with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” Mr Nagi said.

“We have also seen reports of Houthi members being killed in air strikes targeting Iraqi militias, pointing to a much deeper operational relationship.”

The attacks on Saudi Arabia are no longer just a political partnership. “It reflects a broader trend within the Axis of Resistance, in which different groups co-ordinate their actions to project what they call the 'unity of fronts' doctrine,” Mr Nagi said.