After Israel-Hamas War, Houthis Come Back Stronger And With More Enemies (X image @NiohBerg)
In the past 15 months, Houthis, the militant groups of Yemen, has gone through a transformation when it comes to their reputation. Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7th, 2023, the Yemeni group has became popular both domestically, and internationally.
Houthis, a rebel group from Yemen’s far north, the group had fought the Yemeni government and a Saudi-led coalition for almost a decade, proving its military prowess. However, they possessed little luck in projecting its power regionally. Apart form the occasional firing of missies and drones towards Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
They were unpopular among several Yemenis, and were regarded as the enemies given the theocratic and alleged repressive nature of their group. The were perceived as someone who wanted to end Yemen’s republic.
However, after the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza, which started after Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, the Houthis changed their image on global level. The group demonstrated their ability in firing projectiles, and hypersonic missiles into Israel, causing heavy damages to Tel Aviv. The militant group’s willingness in attacking West’s commercial shipping, declaring solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The Houthis became a symbol of resistance against Israel and the West, and was also started to be considered as the true representative of Yemen.
Also Read: Who Are Houthis, The Fierce Supporters Of Hamas
While many Arab nations kept pointed silence in criticising Israel, and taking actions against the occupation for the atrocities unleashed on Gaza, Houthis were resilient against the jointed Western allies of Israel. The group’s reputation grew domestically to the point that the group’s enemies were no longer able to criticise them, due the group’s strong pro-Palestinian stance, which is also a popular position in the country.
“The Houthi leadership has not feared the United States or any other Western force…Offering support to Gaza is the real gauge of courage and humanity. This is why I have changed my view on the Houthis”, Abdullah Yahia, a high school graduate from Sanaa told Al Jazeera.
Houthis successfully pressed themselves as a thumping headache for the Western countries through its Re Sea attacks. Many shipping companies now avoid the Red Sea route, fearing the attack from Houthis. The Red Sea is a vital international trading route, through which over 13 percentage of commercial vessels pass through. If not the Red Sea, the vessels would have to go through South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, which is far more expensive and time consuming that the Red Sea.
According to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), more than 200 shipping vessels came under the Houthi attack since the start of Israel-Hamas war.
Also Read: “Prepare For Attacks, Best Regard”: Houthis Send Warning Emails To Shipping Companies
Following the reaching of Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, the group said that they would stop attacking the commercial ships linked to Israel. Houthi leader, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, warned that they would continue the attack if Israel breached the ceasefire deal. The threat has been repeated. On January 20, a day after the ceasefire began, senior Houthi official Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said that the group had possession of missiles “with 100 percent accuracy”. “Whoever thinks that we exaggerate should review our attacks on ships linked to [Israel],” he added.
From being a localised threat to the challenging biggies on global level, Israel and its allies are looking for ways to defeat, or at least weaken the group. US, and UK joint hands in attacking Houthis, in the name of stopping the Red Sea crisis. Some 20 countries signed the Operation Prosperity Guard, aiming to stop Houthis from attacking the ships.
Washington now labelled Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organisation”. It was one the US President Donald Trump’s first move after returning to office. As per the White House statement, the US policy was to now cooperate with regional partners to eliminate the Houthis’ capabilities and operations and deprive them of resources.
The move enraged the Houthis. the group’s Political Office in Sanaa called on “free nations” to denounce the US decision, stating: “Our armed forces will remain on alert and ready for any military escalation in Yemen”.
Also Read: Did US Navy Accept Defeat To The Houthis?
Houthis believe that they are the largely underestimated. The group survived years of bombing from Saudi Arabia-led coalition. At the same time, the Israel, or West reportedly do not possess much intelligence on the Houthis, like they claim to have on Hezbollah, and Hamas.
“The Houthi group still holds significant strengths – it possesses vast arsenals, thousands of fighters, firm control over its territories, and, most crucially, the weakness of its Yemeni opponents,” said Mohammed al-Samaei, a Taiz-based political researcher and journalist, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
(With inputs from agencies)
