The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, have gained global attention this month after renewed threats against Israel and the US State Department’s re-designation of the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). However, the Houthis’ increased domestic attacks against Yemen’s internationally recognized government (IRG) have received less international coverage.
At the beginning of 2025, Houthi military activity shifted away from the Red Sea and Yemen’s coastal areas to the front lines of Houthi-controlled territory, especially Marib, which had seen almost no fighting by the group in the final months of 2024. In January and February, recorded instances of Houthi combat engagements and remote violence nearly doubled those in any month since October 2023. The United Nations noted that these attacks include “shelling, drone attacks, infiltration attempts and mobilization campaigns.”
Additionally, the Houthis recently demonstrated some of their more advanced capabilities in Marib by targeting a US jet and drone with surface-to-air missiles. The group claimed to have shot down 15 MQ-9 Reaper drones since October 2023, a number the US has not confirmed.
A Yemeni military-affiliated website reports regular confrontations between the Yemeni Army and the Houthis in front-line governorates. In recent days, Yemen’s military has encountered increased attacks in and around Marib Governorate, a strategic region on the edge of Houthi-controlled territory. These encounters capped the Houthis’ busiest two months in Marib’s recent history.
Marib is of particular strategic importance. The governorate is one of the last locations that the internationally recognized government controls in the northern part of the country. The Houthis control the western edge of the governorate, while the IRG holds its central and eastern regions, including the city of Marib. Marib Governorate was the site of intense fighting prior to the United Nations brokering an April 2022 ceasefire as both parties vied for the area and its resources.
In addition to Marib being a central location, some of Yemen’s largest oil and gas resources, refining facilities, and key pipelines are in the government-controlled portion of the governorate. Before the conflict, Marib “provided almost all of the country’s domestic fuel production and almost 90% of its liquified petroleum gas,” according to the crisis-tracking nonprofit Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED). If these resources fall into the hands of the Houthis, they will generate substantial revenue to support the group’s terrorist activities. A 2021 report by the humanitarian reporting nonprofit ACAPS indicates the Houthis possessing Marib’s resources could bring in between $1.3 million to $5.5 million in daily revenue.
The potential inclusion of these resources into the Houthis’ economy, which is facing the consequences of the new FTO designation by the US, might help them weather incoming difficulties. The FTO enables the US to take additional measures to criminalize and restrict support for the terrorist group. The Trump administration has also made it clear that aid from the United States cannot be delivered in a way that enables Houthi exploitation. Along with the FTO designation, the US Treasury Department has removed Biden-era permissions for transactions with the Houthis in refined petroleum products and telecommunications.
The Houthis could mitigate these financial repercussions by gaining access to Marib’s substantial oil and gas facilities. The group and its Iranian sponsors would also likely gain significant power over the broader Yemeni population by controlling the levels of refineries and pipelines.
