Yemen's Houthis declare general mobilization amid fears of possible Israeli attack

Yemen's Houthi group fighters and supporters participate a weaponized rally against Israel, at Arhab district north of Sanaa, Yemen, Nov. 3, 2025. The Houthi movement, which controls Yemen's capital Sanaa and much of the northwest, announced a general mobilization on Monday, calling on allied tribes to prepare for a potential Israeli air strike. (Photo by Mohammd Mohammd/Xinhua)

SANAA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Houthi movement, which controls Yemen's capital Sanaa and much of the northwest, announced a general mobilization on Monday, calling on allied tribes to prepare for a potential Israeli air strike.

The announcement came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labeled the group a threat to Israel, saying efforts were underway to neutralize it.

Mohammed Al-Farrah, a member of the Houthi Political Bureau, posted on X that the group was on high alert and "fully prepared" to confront any Israeli attack or military escalation.

He warned that Israel would "pay a heavy political and economic price" if it launched new airstrikes on Houthi leaders or military sites in Sanaa and other areas under their control.

Early Monday, hundreds of armed tribesmen rallied in the Arhab district north of Sanaa, brandishing rifles, daggers, and military vehicles equipped with heavy guns. Participants fired into the air and chanted anti-Israel slogans.

Similar rallies were reported in other places across Sanaa and other Houthi-controlled provinces, according to Houthi-run Al Masirah TV.

In August, Israel carried out airstrikes on Houthi targets in Sanaa after the group launched ballistic missile and drone attacks on Israeli ports and airports. The strikes destroyed facilities at Hodeidah port, Sanaa International Airport, and several power stations, killing dozens of Houthi members, including 12 ministers and the group's chief of staff, Mohammed Abdulkarim Al-Gumari.

Following the attacks, the Houthis reportedly restricted officials' public appearances and smartphone use, and detained dozens of United Nations aid workers, accusing them of spying for Israel. Last month, Oman-mediated talks led to the release of 20 foreign UN staff, though Yemeni employees remain in detention.

On Monday, UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg met Houthi negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, and Omani officials in Muscat to discuss resuming peace talks.

Grundberg reiterated calls for the release of detained aid workers.

The Houthis seized control of much of northwestern Yemen in September 2014, triggering a civil war that forced the internationally recognized government to relocate to Aden.

Since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, the Houthis have launched multiple missile and drone attacks toward Israel and targeted Red Sea shipping, claiming four vessels linked to Israel were sunk. ■

Yemen's Houthi group fighters ride a vehicle with a heavy machine gun during a weaponized rally against Israel, at Arhab district north of Sanaa, Yemen, Nov. 3, 2025. The Houthi movement, which controls Yemen's capital Sanaa and much of the northwest, announced a general mobilization on Monday, calling on allied tribes to prepare for a potential Israeli air strike. (Photo by Mohammd Mohammd/Xinhua)

Yemen's Houthi group fighters and supporters participate a weaponized rally against Israel, at Arhab district north of Sanaa, Yemen, Nov. 3, 2025. The Houthi movement, which controls Yemen's capital Sanaa and much of the northwest, announced a general mobilization on Monday, calling on allied tribes to prepare for a potential Israeli air strike. (Photo by Mohammd Mohammd/Xinhua)