{"id":426637,"date":"2026-03-17T16:25:54","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T10:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/?p=426637"},"modified":"2026-03-19T17:14:48","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T11:29:48","slug":"iran-signals-proxy-escalation-as-houthi-official-warns-of-zero-hour-senior-iranian-figure-reported-killed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/2026\/03\/17\/426637.html","title":{"rendered":"Iran signals proxy escalation as Houthi official warns of \u2018zero hour\u2019; senior Iranian figure reported killed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"838\" height=\"648\" src=\"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/IMG-20260317-WA0027.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-426638\" srcset=\"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/IMG-20260317-WA0027.jpg 838w, https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/IMG-20260317-WA0027-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/IMG-20260317-WA0027-768x594.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 838px) 100vw, 838px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>March 17, Kathmandu<\/strong>: Rising tensions in West Asia are increasingly reflecting Iran\u2019s reliance on allied non-state actors, as a senior figure from Yemen\u2019s Houthi movement signaled readiness to act in support of Tehran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In remarks circulated by regional media, senior Houthi official Muhammad al-Bakhiti said a decision had been made to \u201cstand by Iran militarily,\u201d adding that the announcement of a \u201czero hour\u201d would come \u201cat the appropriate time.\u201d The statement is being interpreted by analysts as part of a broader pattern in which Iran leverages regional allies to project power and deterrence without direct engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, have been among Iran\u2019s most prominent regional partners, alongside groups in Lebanon and Iraq, forming what is often described as Tehran\u2019s \u201caxis of resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The warning comes amid reports of significant losses within Iran\u2019s senior leadership. Multiple outlets have reported that <strong>Ali Larijani<\/strong>, a top Iranian security official and advisor, was killed in an overnight strike in Tehran. Iranian authorities have not issued a comprehensive official statement detailing the circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other senior security figures have also reportedly been targeted, though details remain contested and independently unverified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Observers say the combination of leadership losses and escalating external pressure may be pushing Tehran to intensify indirect responses through allied groups rather than immediate large-scale conventional retaliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The situation remains fluid, with concerns growing that miscalculation or further escalation by proxy actors could widen the conflict across the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>March 17, Kathmandu: Rising tensions in West Asia are increasingly reflecting Iran\u2019s reliance on allied non-state actors, as a senior figure from Yemen\u2019s Houthi movement signaled readiness to act in support of Tehran. In remarks circulated by regional media, senior Houthi official Muhammad al-Bakhiti said a decision had been made to \u201cstand by Iran militarily,\u201d &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":426638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75,3,6,24,4,5],"tags":[],"reporter":[26],"class_list":["post-426637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-administration","category-english","category-en-featured","category-international","category-en-news","category-top-stories","reporter-kaushal-ghimire"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426637"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426637"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":426647,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426637\/revisions\/426647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426637"},{"taxonomy":"reporter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reporter?post=426637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}