Since Israel declared war on Hamas following the massacre within its territory on October 7, other Islamic militias have joined the terrorist group in a series of attacks against the country. The main one was Hezbollah, in Lebanon, which operates on the northern Israeli border and has threatened an escalation of the conflict.
In addition to the Lebanese terrorists, another rebel group appears beyond the borders with Israel: the Houthis, a radical Shiite organization, which currently controls part of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, located more than 2,000 kilometers from Jerusalem.
Earlier this month, the group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, confirmed in a televised announcement that the rebels had launched a “large number” of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel and would continue to bomb the country “to help the Palestinians win.” ” the conflict.
After that, a second bombing occurred, when Yemeni militiamen claimed a multiple attack with ballistic missiles on several points in the city of Eilat, in southern Israel, shortly after the Israeli Army intercepted a surface-to-surface missile in the Red Sea area.
More recently, this Tuesday (14), the rebels announced a new plan to attack Israeli ships sailing in waters adjacent to Yemen.
“We plan additional operations to strike Zionist targets elsewhere and will not hesitate to do so in the Red Sea, particularly in Bab al Mandab. Our eyes are open, constantly watching and searching for any Israeli ships,” said the Houthi rebel leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, in a statement on local television.
During the speech, Al-Houthi also called on countries between Yemen and the Gaza Strip to open passage for Yemeni fighters to pass through with the aim of confronting the Israeli Army.
“We ask the countries that geographically separate us from ‘Palestine’, even if it is to test our credibility, to open a land crossing just so that our people can reach the region,” stated the anti-Israel leadership.
Who are the Houthis
The Houthi militia emerged in the 1990s, linked to the political-religious movement Ansar Allah (“Partisans of God”, in free translation), in the far north of Yemen, with an ideal that sought to revitalize Zaydism, a branch of Shi’ite Islam.
The name the group carries comes from Hussein Badr al Din al Huti, leader of the group’s first uprising, in 2004, in the Sadá region. During this period, the rebels sought greater autonomy for the region where the Zaidites lived and maintained their ideas.
Until 2015, Zaidis represented a third of the population and ruled North Yemen. In 1990, there was the unification and implementation of the Arab Republic, which brought together North and South Yemen.
At the time, the country was dominated by guerrillas who fought a series of clashes with the national army and with the border Saudi Arabia, a country with a Sunni Muslim majority, due to religious and territorial differences.
In 2004, Yemeni soldiers killed Hussein Huti and his family took control of the movement, leading a marathon of rebellions until a ceasefire was reached with the government of Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2010.
The following year, the country faced a serious political crisis amid the Arab Spring, which culminated in protests in the country and other parts of the Middle East.
Although Yemen is rich in oil, almost half of the population lives below the poverty line, on less than US$1 a day, according to data from the World Bank and the IMF.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that three-quarters of the country’s population needs some type of assistance and protection. Thus, the UN classified the crisis in Yemen as a “humanitarian disaster”.
The Arab Spring movement arrived in Yemen, reaching the government of Saleh (1978-2012), who ended up being deposed. This political mobilization was a central point in expanding territorial control in the provinces of Sadá and Amran by the Houthis, who gained more regional strength during this period.
After Saleh’s deposition, control of the country passed to his vice-president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Al-Hadi, from the Sunni faction. This fact aroused dissatisfaction among Shiites and a series of conflicts began.
In July 2011, the Houthis, backed by the country’s main Sunni Islamist party, Islah, defeated tribal groups and other militias in Amran province. Over the next few years, the rebels gained political and territorial space in Yemen.
As a result, in July 2014, the Houthis began a plan to control the capital Sanaa. In September of the same year, the rebels gained control of the city and, four months later, seized the Presidential Palace.
The invasion led the then president to flee to Áde, a city in the south of the country. Since then, the Houthis have controlled the government headquarters through the use of violence and tried to administer other regions of Yemen.
However, the north of the country has been marked in recent years by a series of conflicts with separatists, who reject the coup d’état.
The most recent action that put the rebel group in the spotlight was its entry into the war against Israel. The slogan defended by the Houthis is “death to America, death to Israel and curse to the Jews and victory to Islam”. As a result, last month, the militia joined Hamas in the regional war.
The Houthis are part of the Axis of Resistance, a regional alliance led by Iran, which seeks the destruction of the State of Israel and the United States. Despite accusations of partnership between the countries, the Iranian regime continues to deny the existence of the agreement.
In addition to the Shiite movement that took power in Yemen, the Islamic State and Al Qaeda have bases in the region.
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