The impoverished Houthi regime receives invaluable popular support from the pro-Palestinian Yemenis

* The route to a stable Yemen that balances the existing forces is through the ideas of the 2013 National Dialogue Conference which envisaged a federal state. The conclusions of that time would have to be substantially revised. However, the current balance of power favours the Houthi so any future deal may well be unstable as many Yemenis both in and out of Houthi territory do not want to be ruled by them.
* The truce that still holds means that Saudi Arabia is largely out of the fighting. The Houthi gave the Saudis a significant concession when they agreed that the Saudis should be considered mediators rather than participants in the war. Nonetheless, the truce is between the Saudis and the Houthi, and the Internationally Recognised Government will just have to accept it. The agreement is being delayed by American discomfort at dealing with the Houthi, particularly while they are still attacking Red Sea shipping. If the fighting stops in Gaza, and humanitarian assistance gets to the Gazans, the Houthi have said that they will stop their attacks.
* The UAE supports a range of Yemeni groups. Their main ally is the Southern Transitional Council based in Aden, but they also back Tariq Salih, nephew of the former president, who holds the Bab Al Mandab and the southern Tihama on the Red Sea coast. The UAE also backs the Amalika, which is a mixed group of northern tribes and salafi.
* Hadramaut is the focus of the rivalries between the Saudis and the Emiratis, and their allies. The Emirati allies are on the coast, and the Saudi allies in the interior. Many Hadramis have lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for generations such as the Bin Ladens and Bin Mahfouz, and the Saudis maintain close links with Hadramaut.
* The Houthi economy is in bad shape and international aid is falling. Houthi revenues had a brief boost in 2023 when they insisted that shipping that used to stop in Aden had to go to Hodeida, but with the Red Sea fighting that has stopped. However, the Houthi leadership are insensitive to popular opinion so can ignore the people’s suffering, but they also benefit from strong and genuine pro-Palestinian feeling, so while the Gaza War continues, they benefit from popular support.