Axis Week in Brief, Houthi Lane

The Houthis did not fire on Israel during the ceasefire but kept firing on Yemeni government forces, and spent the week building the case that no pause is valid without Lebanon. April 8–14, 2026.

The ceasefire between the United States and Iran, brokered by Pakistan, took effect on April 8. This issue covers April 8–14, the first full week under the pause. Much of the Houthi media output during this period was devoted to celebrating what the movement called Iran’s “great victory,” with Abdul-Malik al-Houthi’s April 9 speech setting the tone and province-by-province mobilization filling the coverage for the rest of the week. The operational picture, however, remained Iran’s: the ceasefire was negotiated in Islamabad between Iranian and American delegations, centered on Hormuz, and mediated by Pakistan with last-minute Chinese involvement.