Who are the Houthis of Yemen and what is their role in the Middle East war

The armed group is part of the Axis of Resistance, an alliance fueled by Iran and which also includes Hezbollah and Hamas.

Last Sunday, September 29 dozens of army planes Israel they headed towards Yemen carry out “a large-scale air operation” .

They thus referred to a series of attacks against different positions controlled by the Houthis .

Targets included a port and power stations, while At least four deaths and 33 injuries were recorded according to media controlled by the Houthis themselves.

After this episode, which required a journey of more than 2,200 kilometers for Israeli planes, its Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, declared: “Our message is clear. For us, no place is too far. » .

This Israeli offensive is part of a series of cross-attacks recorded since the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023 .

On this date, the militant group Hamas carried out a direct attack on Israel which left around 1,200 dead and 250 hostages.

In response, The Israeli government maintains a permanent offensive in the Gaza Strip which left more than 41,000 dead according to local authorities.

Recently, at the end of September, Israeli forces assassinated the head of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah, with airstrikes on posts in Beirut.

Also They began a ground operation in Lebanon in the middle of a scenario in which armed actions and threats of reprisals between the different parties do not suggest the possibility of a ceasefire.

On October 1st, Iran carried out an attack with more than 180 ballistic missiles against Israel to which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that “they will pay for it”.

The events mentioned are just a few of those that have occurred throughout the war in the Middle East .

Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis of Yemen have in common that they belong to what is called Axis of resistance .

This is an alliance powered by Iran that has the objective of countering the influence of Israel and the United States in the region.

At present, Israel is fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, in addition to facing Iran and the Houthis in Yemen .

Yemen's Houthis
Who are the Houthis of Yemen and what is their role in the war in the Middle East. Photo: Houthi supporters wave a Hezbollah flag in Sanaa, Yemen, September 27, 2024.

Who are the Houthis of Yemen?

The Houthis present themselves as Ansar Allah (or Supporters of God) and correspond to a Shiite movement which today controls around 30% of Yemen’s territory .

The group began operating in the 1990s and is made up of the Zaïdis, that is to say the Shiite Muslim minority of the country.

Its activities are concentrated in the north of the territory and They make up about a third of Yemen’s 33 million people. according to the figures recovered by the BBC .

From the beginning, they focused on denounce the acts of corruption of the president at the time, Ali Abdalá Salé, in addition to accusing oppression of the Sunni majority.

His name refers to Hussein Abdreddin al Houthi, a cleric, soldier and parliamentarian who aspired to take power in Yemen. and that he was assassinated in September 2004 by government agents.

One of the leader’s main goals was to create a new independent state for the Zaïdis .

The Houthis demonstrated in 2011 for Saleh to hand over power to Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. his second, in the context of the so-called Arab Spring.

However, after the latter came to power, They declared themselves against his mandate and reached an agreement with Salé the same leader they sought to overthrow.

In these negotiations, They promised to help him rule Yemen again if he spoke out against Hadi .

Already in 2014, the Houthis seized Saada, in northern Yemen. And a few months later, In early 2015, they took control of Sanaa, the capital of the country.

Faced with this acute scenario, Hadi had to flee the territory towards abroad.

Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia, with the support of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, carried out a military operation with the aim of overthrowing them and bringing back Hadi.

Already at the end of 2022, the Houthis had concluded a truce with Saudi Arabia and its allies in order to stop the clashes.

Currently, Its leader is Abdul Malik al Houthi brother of Hussein Abdreddin al Houthi.

Yemen's Houthis
Who are the Houthis of Yemen and what is their role in the war in the Middle East. Photo: Houthi supporters brandish their weapons during a protest in Sanaa, Yemen, January 20, 2021.

What is the relationship of Yemen’s Houthis with Iran and the Axis of Resistance?

Iran has supported the militias they consider their allies by providing them with weapons, training and financial support. .

Within the latter are the forces that are part of the Axis of Resistance, including Houthi rebels include .

According to the aforementioned media, The United States and Saudi Arabia accuse Iran of supplying them with ballistic missiles. like those which were used in 2017 with the aim of attacking Riyadh – the capital of the latter country – and which could be intercepted.

Saudi authorities also reported that Iranian forces equipped them with cruise missiles and drones which were used for a 2019 attack on some of its oil facilities.

Anyway, Iran rejects accusations against him .

How the Houthis responded to the Middle East war and how many fighters they have

Since they control much of the Red Sea coast, carried out multiple drone and missile attacks against ships from strategic positions after the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023.

They thus sought affect maritime traffic in the area which is of paramount importance for international trade.

Furthermore, they launched projectiles against Israel to which retaliatory airstrikes responded.

According to the United Nations (UN) Security Council, In 2010, they had between 100,000 and 120,000 subscribers. .

These estimated figures They saw armed troops and unarmed partisans .

Data retrieved by Tutor At the start of 2024, they detail that They have around 20,000 fighters in their ranks .

Source: Latercera

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