The Wall Street Journal reports that the Houthi movement in Yemen has established a broad alliance with the Al-Qaeda-linked Somali terror group Al-Shabaab. According to the report, a Houthi delegation traveled to Al-Shabaab's stronghold in Jilib, Somalia, in June to coordinate disruption of Israeli-linked activities at the Berbera port in Somaliland, in exchange for advanced weapons and training.
A widely-cited Wall Street Journal report published Tuesday describes a deepening strategic relationship between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement and the Somali jihadist group Al-Shabaab. According to the report, a four-member Houthi delegation crossed the Gulf of Aden in June to meet Al-Shabaab leaders in Jilib, the group's de facto capital in southern Somalia. The delegation requested coordination to disrupt Israeli-linked operations at the Berbera port in the breakaway region of Somaliland, which Israeli officials have reportedly eyed as a logistics hub for monitoring and striking Houthi targets in Yemen. In exchange, the Houthis promised to provide Al-Shabaab with advanced weaponry and training, according to an intelligence assessment cited by the report. The partnership would extend both groups' reach across the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, threatening regional stability and trade routes.
The Houthi movement, a central node in Iran's Axis of Resistance, has escalated its attacks on Saudi Arabia and international shipping since breaking a ceasefire with Riyadh. Al-Shabaab, aligned with Al-Qaeda, has long waged an insurgency in Somalia and has carried out attacks in Kenya and Uganda. An alliance between the two would create a new front of insecurity stretching from the Yemeni highlands to the Somali coast. Neither the Houthis nor Al-Shabaab have officially commented on the report.
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