Aden (South24 Center)

The Houthis’ so-called General Mobilization Forces announced on Monday, June 22, their “full and immediate readiness” to reinforce frontlines with fighters, following a call by the group’s leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi to prepare for broader military action.

The announcement comes amid renewed clashes on several contact lines in South Yemen, despite the relative calm that has largely prevailed since the UN-brokered truce in 2022.

In a statement published by Houthi-run media outlets, the mobilization forces said they were ready to support the group’s forces “at any time and place” determined by the leadership.

The statement framed the move as part of what the Houthis described as a battle to “reclaim rights and resources,” “expel occupiers,” and “end the blockade.”

It claimed that “hundreds of thousands” of recruits had undergone military training as part of the group’s so-called “Al-Aqsa Flood” courses, a mobilization program promoted by the Houthis since the outbreak of the Gaza war. There was no independent verification of the figures cited by the group.

The mobilization forces also reaffirmed their alignment with the Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance,” praising Tehran and presenting the Houthi mobilization as part of a broader regional “unity of fronts.” This comes weeks after the group announced missile attacks targeting Israel and imposed a ban on Israeli-linked navigation in the Red Sea.

Yemeni military analyst Adnan Al-Gabarni said the statement should be read within a broader Houthi escalation matrix that followed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi’s recent hints at military action.

In an analysis published on his Facebook page, Al-Gabarni said the group appeared to be “gradually climbing the escalation ladder” to pressure the coalition, particularly Saudi Arabia, while also keeping itself prepared for internal war.

Al-Gabarni described the mobilization forces as a popular paramilitary structure modeled on Iran’s Basij, built through local networks in neighborhoods, districts, and villages.

He said the force had expanded over the past two years under the banner of supporting Gaza, through limited weapons training and ideological mobilization aimed at organizing pro-Houthi civilian constituencies that could later serve as a reserve for the group’s armed formations.

The announcement followed a speech by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi marking the Islamic New Year, in which he signaled possible escalation and called for official and popular action to end what he described as “aggression, occupation, and blockade.”

He also accused the internationally recognized Yemeni government and its allies of controlling oil and gas resources concentrated in South Yemen.

The rhetorical escalation coincides with continued fighting on several fronts. On June 16 and 17, Southern forces repelled a Houthi attack on the Bab Ghalq front in northern Al-Dhalea, where one southern soldier was killed and five others were wounded.

Southern forces later shelled Houthi positions and movements after repelling the attack.

Five children were also killed and eight others injured on Monday, June 22, after an explosive device believed to have been left behind by the Houthis detonated in Al-Ribi village, north of the Hajar area in Al-Dhalea governorate.

On the same night, Southern forces repelled another Houthi attack on the Battar front in northern Al-Dhalea governorate, leaving one soldier killed and four others wounded.

The escalation comes as the United Nations continues efforts to preserve de-escalation channels through the Military Coordination Committee.