Nadwa Al-Dawsari Testifies on Countering Houthis Before House Foreign Affairs Committee
The Subcommittee on Middle East & North Africa convened the hearing — titled "Countering Houthi Terrorism: Protecting US Interests and Security in the Red Sea" — on September 1, 2026. Watch the hearing recording and download Al-Dawsari's written testimony below.
September 1, 2026
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Key Takeaways
Iran’s sustained investment, combined with repeated US underestimation, allowed the Houthis to develop advanced drones and missiles and disrupt Red Sea shipping.
Military strikes alone cannot eliminate the threat and risk a prolonged war of attrition—the Houthis rebuild through smuggling networks and still generate an estimated $2 billion a year despite sanctions.
The Houthis are deepening ties with al-Shabaab, Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, Russia, and China, and cultivating a generation to view America as an adversary.
Territory is the Houthis’ central source of leverage; the durable solution is US leadership through training partners, sharing intelligence, and pressuring Beijing to curb weapons flows—without US boots on the ground.
“"The US needs a long-term strategy that builds real leverage on the Houthis ... The most sustainable way to reduce the threat is to empower Yemenis to retake territory from the Houthis — this does not require US boots on the ground; it requires US leadership.”
Nadwa Al-Dawsari
Associate Fellow
Middle East Institute
Prepared Written Testimony for the Record
Submitted to the United States House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
