How powerful are Yemen’s Houthi rebels, whom even America and Britain’s army is not able to scare?
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have engaged some of the world’s most powerful armies. They are still firing missiles at any cargo ship passing through the Red Sea that they consider to be linked to the US, Britain or Israel. Apart from this, they are also targeting some ships which belong to other countries. These attacks have already had a major impact on global trade. Due to this, most of the cargo ships are forced to go around the African continent, thousands of miles away. Houthi rebels appear undaunted by US-led airstrikes on their missile bases and drone launching sites. In such a situation, the question arises that who are the Houthi rebels and how did they become so powerful.
Who are the Houthi rebels?
The Houthi rebels are a minority group from the northwest of Yemen. These rebels got their name from the founder of a social movement, Hussein al-Houthi. The Houthis fought a series of wars against Yemen’s powerful ruler in the early 2000s. After this, due to the Arab Spring protests, he gained more power and sounded the alarm of rebellion against the monarchy in Yemen. They surrounded the capital, Sanaa, and captured it in 2014. The Houthis forced ousted President Saleh to leave the country. After this the Houthis eliminated the Republican Guard loyal to the President. Due to this, 80% of the population of Yemen was captured by the Houthis.
Yemen has been ruined because of Houthis
Ever since the Houthis took power in Yemen, the situation in the country has become very bad. Yemen was already the poorest of the Arab countries. Now a devastating civil war has brought this country to the brink of destruction. According to an estimate, 150,000 people have been killed in Yemen’s civil war. The situation is so bad that lakhs of people do not even get two meals a day. The Houthis also launched drone and missile attacks on their neighbor Saudi Arabia. For this reason, Saudi Arabia also formed an alliance and carried out air strikes against the Houthis in Yemen for several years. Apart from the Houthi rebels, thousands of Yemeni civilians were killed in these attacks.
How did you come into limelight?
“The Houthis epitomize a victorious mentality, built through a series of victories over two decades,” Mohammed al-Basha, a Middle East expert at Virginia-based consultancy Navanti, told the BBC. “They effectively thwarted the Saudi-led coalition’s effort to restore the internationally recognized government in Sanaa.” Since mid-November 2023, the Houthis have shown their arsenal to the world, making substantial use of missiles and drones to attack cargo ships passing near the narrow, strategic chokepoint of the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
Houthi rebels are mostly Shias
The Houthis are mostly Muslims who follow the Zaidi branch of Shia Islam in Sunni-dominated Yemen. They represent only 15% of Yemenis. Despite this, the Houthis consider themselves the real rulers of Yemen. “They are generally more bellicose, violent and brutal,” says Edmund Fitton-Brown, who was Britain’s ambassador to Yemen from 2015-17. He said, “I encountered shocking examples of brutality in Aden and Taiz. The Houthis consider themselves an elite class (the Zaidi sect). They have a long-standing hostility towards Sunni civilians in central and southern Yemen.”
How do the Houthis get weapons?
The Houthis do not have any weapons factory of their own. They use everything from rifles like AK-47 to attack drones and anti-ship missiles. America and the United Nations claim that these weapons are supplied to the Houthi rebels from Iran. America also says that the Houthis receive military training, weapons and all other assistance from Iran. An American report states that Iran does not supply any weapons directly to the Houthi rebels, due to which it could be accused. Instead, he cuts the weapons into small parts and first delivers them to an African country. Then from there it is taken to Yemen through fishing boats.
