Proxy relationship

Are the Houthis Iran’s last gaming card? – opinion

Weakening the Houthis – Iran’s strongest proxy left – can alleviate the current pressure on Saudi Arabia, Red Sea shipping, Israel, and the region at large

A member of Houthi security forces mans a machine gun mounted on the back of a patrol vehicle at the site of an anti-Saudi rally amid an escalation with the kingdom in Sanaa, Yemen, last month.
Boats float near the coast of Bab el-Mandeb, Yemen, April 2, 2026.

Yemen's Houthis considering fees for ships sailing through Red Sea, sources say

A Houthi protester with a poster of Ali Khamenei demonstrates amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Sanaa, Yemen, March 6, 2026

Houthis claim missiles forced Saudi warplane from Yemeni airspace amid weapons testing

A boy holds a yellow Hezbollah flag while walking among a crowd during a mourning ceremony in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, June 26, 2026

Why Israeli officials fear Iran-backed Hezbollah could still rearm despite Lebanon deal - exclusive


Houthis threaten US ships in Red Sea if Trump joins Israel's Iran strikes

The US president has been unclear on whether or not he will decide to strike Iran after nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran reached an impasse.

Houthi supporters burn Israeli and US flags in solidarity with Palestinians and Iran, in Sanaa, Yemen June 20, 2025

Iran scales back its support of proxies to focus on Trump's threat, Iranian officials say - report

Iran reportedly ordered its military personnel to leave Yemen to avoid a confrontation with the US as it continues attacking Houthi assets. 

 A ship fires missiles at an undisclosed location, after US President Donald Trump launched military strikes against Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on Saturday over the group's attacks against Red Sea shipping, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released on March 15, 2025.

US gov't offers $15 million reward for providing crucial Houthi tips

On Monday, the US carried out targeted strikes against the Houthis in Yemen’s capital city, Sana’a, including sites such as the Al-Habashi Iron Factory and areas south of the presidential compound. 

 US President Donald Trump in front of a background of newly recruited fighters who joined a Houthi military force intended to be sent to fight in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, march during a parade in Sanaa, Yemen December 2, 2023 (illustrative)

Activists petition Treasury Department to sanction charities that serve as terror proxies

A coalition of 45 organizations urged the US Treasury to follow suit of the 'Samidoun' sanction by sanctioning an additional six NGOs allegedly linked to terrorism, citing their ties to the PFLP.

 Samidoun poster calling for “Long Live October 7”

Why Iran-backed militias in Iraq are Tehran's most resilient proxies - analysis

It is the Iranian-controlled Iraqi militias (Popular Mobilization Forces, PMF or PMU) that may be the most difficult Iranian proxy to degrade.

 Supporters of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces offer condolences over the deaths of Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi and others, outside the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad on May 20, 2024.

Documents captured from Hamas reveal Iran's complex weapons smuggling network

The smuggling routes to the West Bank had two routes: the first passed through Syria to Jordan; the second route began in Syria, through Lebanon, and then weapons were smuggled directly into Israel.

The embroidered flags of Lebanon, Israel, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Palestinian Authority (illustrative)

Will Iranian-backed militias in Iraq march to Syria? Orders awaited - analysis

Moving Iraqi militias into Syria would be Iran’s way of both preventing spillover and adding fuel to the fire.

 A member of Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah attends the funeral of a commander who was killed in a strike in the Syrian capital Damascus on Friday, September 22, 2024.

Syrian and Russian jets bomb rebel-held northwest Syria

Damascus says it is waging a war against al Qaeda-inspired terrorists and denies targeting civilians indiscriminately.

A rebel fighter takes away a flag that belonged to Islamic State militants in Akhtarin village, after rebel fighters advanced in the area, in northern Aleppo Governorate, Syria, October 7, 2016

IDF heightens state of alert in anticipation of Iranian response

The IDF has not ruled out the possibility of an Iranian response from Syria, Yemen, or Iraq, rather than directly from Iran.

 MISSILES FIRED from Iran are intercepted over northern Israel, last Tuesday. This has been a grueling year marked by unrelenting challenges. Just this past week, Israel faced an attack of nearly 200 ballistic missiles from Iran, the writer notes.

Between proxies and a new attack on Israel: Iran’s dilemma - analysis

Iran operates via proxies in several countries and territories, including Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, and the Gaza Strip.

 THE FLAGS (from right) of Iran, Hezbollah, and Lebanon are on display in Tehran. The Lebanese people should not allow Iran to build a Shi’ite crescent from Tehran to the Mediterranean Sea; they should stop suffering for the sake of Hezbollah, the writer urges.