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| Times Magazine | A Palestinian flag is raised as Houthis rally in solidarity with Iran and Lebanon amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on March 27, 2026.Mohammed Huwais—AFP via Getty Images |
Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and banned paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament.
This escalation comes as the conflict enters its second month, following the February 28 assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. With the Strait of Hormuz closed and the Houthis now threatening the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, global oil prices have surged toward $200 per barrel, prompting the Trump administration to deploy the 82nd Airborne Division and thousands of U.S. Marines to the region to secure maritime trade routes and prepare for a potential ground invasion by the April 6 deadline.
The Houthi Front and the Widening War
The night sky over the Gulf of Aden has always been a place of ancient constellations and quiet trade winds. But on March 28, 2026, the darkness was shattered by the orange glow of solid-fuel engines. In the rugged highlands of northern Yemen, the Axis of Resistance finally pulled its most volatile trigger. For twenty-eight days, the world had watched a duel between the high-tech precision of the U.S.-Israeli coalition and the asymmetric fury of Tehran. Now, the storm has reached the Red Sea.The Houthis have officially joined the war.
During the Holy Jihad Battle, while the world was busy picking apart President Trump's 15-point peace plan and the strange rain strikes on Tehran's jamming stations, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree appeared on Al-Masirah TV in full dress uniform. His message was not one of de-escalation but one of a holy mandate.
"Our forces have carried out the first and second military operations of the Holy Jihad Battle."
Saree declared, claiming that a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles had been launched at sensitive sites in southern Israel, specifically targeting military installations in Eilat. This isn't just a regional militia firing a few lucky shots; this is a coordinated, high-tier military intervention. According to intelligence reports, the Houthi launches were timed to coincide with Operation True Promise 4, the IRGC’s 84th wave of attacks against U.S. and Israeli assets in the Gulf.
To understand why the Houthi entry is a nightmare for global markets, one must look at a map. For a month, the Strait of Hormuz has been a graveyard of international trade. Iran’s toll collection in Chinese Yuan and the effective blockade of the waterway have already sent the S&P 500 into a tailspin.
The Houthis, however, hold the key to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait—the narrow doorway to the Suez Canal. Until Saturday, the Red Sea had remained the primary bypass for Saudi oil, with the port of Yanbu operating at a staggering 4 million barrels per day. By entering the war, the Houthis have put a target on the last remaining artery of the global energy heart. If the Houthis begin a systematic campaign against tankers in the Red Sea, the $200-per-barrel oil shock predicted by The Economist could become a permanent reality.
The timing of the Houthi intervention suggests a level of command-and-control that many Western analysts hoped had been destroyed on February 28. Despite the loss of Ali Khamenei and the destruction of central command hubs in Tehran, the "Axis of Resistance" is proving to be a hydra.
While the Houthis strike from the south, Hezbollah continues to trade heavy fire across the Blue Line in Lebanon, and the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Iraq launch drones at U.S. consulates in Erbil. There is no longer a war in Iran. It is a war on the continent of the Middle East. The United States goal of a quick, surgical victory has vanished, replaced by the grim reality of a war of attrition that stretches three thousand miles from the Mediterranean to the Arabian Sea.
The Trump administration’s reaction has been a combination of diplomatic ultimatums and massive military muscle. Even as special envoy Steve Witkoff speaks of a "hopeful" peace deal, the Pentagon is moving the pieces for a final confrontation.
The 82nd Airborne Division—the All-Americans—has begun arriving in undisclosed regional hubs. Alongside them, thousands of U.S. Marines have landed in Kuwait and the UAE. Their mission is twofold: to provide a "Marine Wall" against the Houthi threat in the Red Sea and to be the "tip of the spear" for the April 6 deadline.
Trump’s messaging remains characteristically blunt. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that if the 15-point plan is not accepted, the President is prepared to "unleash hell". But with the Houthis now in the fray, "hell" is already here. The U.S. is now forced to divert significant air and naval assets to the southern Red Sea, potentially diluting the pressure on Tehran’s core infrastructure.
As the missiles fly, so do the lies. The IRGC has recently aired videos of purported captured Americans on Kharg Island, a claim the Pentagon has dismissed as absurd propaganda. Similarly, the Houthis have claimed "direct hits" on Israeli bases that the IDF says were intercepted harmlessly over the desert.
But in the age of the digital war, the truth often matters less than the perception of chaos. The Houthi-Iran War is as much a psychological battle as it is a kinetic one. By simply launching a missile toward Israel, the Houthis have proved that the U.S. and Israel do not have "escalation dominance". They have shown that they can still bleed the global economy, even as their patrons in Tehran are under siege.
The Final Countdown
We are now seven days away from the April 6 ultimatum. The 15-point plan sits on a table in Islamabad, unsigned. The Houthis have promised that their "Holy Jihad Battle" will continue until the "aggression" ends.
The Red Sea is no longer a trade route; it is a combat zone. As the 82nd Airborne checks their gear and the Houthi crews reload their launchers, the world is left with a chilling realisation: the "2026 Iran War" was just the beginning. The storm has moved south, and it is gathering strength.
Q1: Why did the Houthis wait until now to join the war? Analysts believe the Houthis waited to see the initial U.S. and Israeli military response. Their entry on March 28, 2026, was likely a coordinated move with Tehran to open a "southern front" and pressure the global economy by threatening the Red Sea.
Q2: What is the "Holy Jihad Battle"? This is the name given by the Houthi movement to their military intervention in the 2026 Iran War. It involves long-range drone and missile strikes against Israeli territory and potential attacks on maritime targets in the Red Sea.
Q3: How does the Houthi entry affect oil prices? With the Strait of Hormuz closed, the Red Sea (via Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port) was the last major route for Gulf oil. Houthi threats to the Red Sea have driven Brent crude prices toward $200 per barrel due to fears of a total maritime blockade.
Q4: Is the U.S. fighting the Houthis directly? Yes. U.S. naval assets in the Red Sea have been intercepting Houthi missiles and drones. The Pentagon has also begun deploying the 82nd Airborne and thousands of Marines to secure the region and prevent Houthi "swarm" attacks on shipping.
Q5: What is the link between the Houthis and the 15-point peace plan? The 15-point plan demands that Iran cease all support for regional proxies, including the Houthis. By launching attacks, the Houthis are effectively signaling that they—and Tehran—reject the terms of the plan.
To understand why the Houthi entry is a nightmare for global markets, one must look at a map. For a month, the Strait of Hormuz has been a graveyard of international trade. Iran’s toll collection in Chinese Yuan and the effective blockade of the waterway have already sent the S&P 500 into a tailspin.
The Houthis, however, hold the key to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait—the narrow doorway to the Suez Canal. Until Saturday, the Red Sea had remained the primary bypass for Saudi oil, with the port of Yanbu operating at a staggering 4 million barrels per day. By entering the war, the Houthis have put a target on the last remaining artery of the global energy heart. If the Houthis begin a systematic campaign against tankers in the Red Sea, the $200-per-barrel oil shock predicted by The Economist could become a permanent reality.
The timing of the Houthi intervention suggests a level of command-and-control that many Western analysts hoped had been destroyed on February 28. Despite the loss of Ali Khamenei and the destruction of central command hubs in Tehran, the "Axis of Resistance" is proving to be a hydra.
While the Houthis strike from the south, Hezbollah continues to trade heavy fire across the Blue Line in Lebanon, and the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Iraq launch drones at U.S. consulates in Erbil. There is no longer a war in Iran. It is a war on the continent of the Middle East. The United States goal of a quick, surgical victory has vanished, replaced by the grim reality of a war of attrition that stretches three thousand miles from the Mediterranean to the Arabian Sea.
The Trump administration’s reaction has been a combination of diplomatic ultimatums and massive military muscle. Even as special envoy Steve Witkoff speaks of a "hopeful" peace deal, the Pentagon is moving the pieces for a final confrontation.
The 82nd Airborne Division—the All-Americans—has begun arriving in undisclosed regional hubs. Alongside them, thousands of U.S. Marines have landed in Kuwait and the UAE. Their mission is twofold: to provide a "Marine Wall" against the Houthi threat in the Red Sea and to be the "tip of the spear" for the April 6 deadline.
Trump’s messaging remains characteristically blunt. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that if the 15-point plan is not accepted, the President is prepared to "unleash hell". But with the Houthis now in the fray, "hell" is already here. The U.S. is now forced to divert significant air and naval assets to the southern Red Sea, potentially diluting the pressure on Tehran’s core infrastructure.
As the missiles fly, so do the lies. The IRGC has recently aired videos of purported captured Americans on Kharg Island, a claim the Pentagon has dismissed as absurd propaganda. Similarly, the Houthis have claimed "direct hits" on Israeli bases that the IDF says were intercepted harmlessly over the desert.
But in the age of the digital war, the truth often matters less than the perception of chaos. The Houthi-Iran War is as much a psychological battle as it is a kinetic one. By simply launching a missile toward Israel, the Houthis have proved that the U.S. and Israel do not have "escalation dominance". They have shown that they can still bleed the global economy, even as their patrons in Tehran are under siege.
The Final Countdown
We are now seven days away from the April 6 ultimatum. The 15-point plan sits on a table in Islamabad, unsigned. The Houthis have promised that their "Holy Jihad Battle" will continue until the "aggression" ends.
The Red Sea is no longer a trade route; it is a combat zone. As the 82nd Airborne checks their gear and the Houthi crews reload their launchers, the world is left with a chilling realisation: the "2026 Iran War" was just the beginning. The storm has moved south, and it is gathering strength.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: Why did the Houthis wait until now to join the war? Analysts believe the Houthis waited to see the initial U.S. and Israeli military response. Their entry on March 28, 2026, was likely a coordinated move with Tehran to open a "southern front" and pressure the global economy by threatening the Red Sea.
Q2: What is the "Holy Jihad Battle"? This is the name given by the Houthi movement to their military intervention in the 2026 Iran War. It involves long-range drone and missile strikes against Israeli territory and potential attacks on maritime targets in the Red Sea.
Q3: How does the Houthi entry affect oil prices? With the Strait of Hormuz closed, the Red Sea (via Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port) was the last major route for Gulf oil. Houthi threats to the Red Sea have driven Brent crude prices toward $200 per barrel due to fears of a total maritime blockade.
Q4: Is the U.S. fighting the Houthis directly? Yes. U.S. naval assets in the Red Sea have been intercepting Houthi missiles and drones. The Pentagon has also begun deploying the 82nd Airborne and thousands of Marines to secure the region and prevent Houthi "swarm" attacks on shipping.
Q5: What is the link between the Houthis and the 15-point peace plan? The 15-point plan demands that Iran cease all support for regional proxies, including the Houthis. By launching attacks, the Houthis are effectively signaling that they—and Tehran—reject the terms of the plan.
