U.S. Airstrike Kills Liaison Linking Houthis and al-Shabaab

The United States conducted an airstrike on February 12 in al-Ghaydah, Yemen, killing Jibril Yahya Ali, a Somali liaison who facilitated a strategic alliance between Yemen's Houthi rebels and the al-Shabaab insurgent group. While U.S. Central Command denied the operation, other U.S. sources confirmed the strike was intended to disrupt a partnership where al-Shabaab provides financial resources in exchange for Houthi military-grade weapons, drone technology, and training.

This cooperation allows the Houthis to extend their geographic reach into the Gulf of Aden and provides al-Shabaab with sophisticated weaponry to threaten Somali and U.S. bases. The alliance is driven by shared hostility toward the West and Israel, specifically following Israel's December decision to recognize the independence of Somaliland.

Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi has vowed to target any Israeli presence in Somaliland. Dagvin Anderson, commander of American forces in Africa, characterized the alliance as a global problem that could destabilize critical economic chokepoints and provide al-Qaeda's largest affiliate with advanced military capabilities.