Leadership: Groupies For Houthis
Ezoic
May 27, 2025: In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis rebels have, over the last 18 months, become a major threat to shipping in the Red Sea and a minor annoyance by firing Iranian missiles at Israel, which are intercepted or to land in uninhabited areas. Iran has lost its other two troublemakers, Hezbollah and Hamas, making Houthis the only Iran-backed terror group that is still operational. Without aid from China and Russia, the Houthis would have been out of business long ago.
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The Houthis have, since late 2023, attacked over 300 ships moving north in the Red Sea towards the Suez Canal. During that period the United States and its allies have escalated their attacks on Houthi facilities in Yemen. Israeli air strikes on Iran have cut the supply of new missiles to the Houthis.
The Arabian Peninsula has several wealthy Arab kingdoms that prosper from huge pools of petroleum underneath the desert sands. The only area with no oil is Yemen in the fertile south. Until the Persian Gulf oil industry was created over a century ago, Yemen was the most prosperous part of Arabia because it was green from Monsoon rains that soaked Yemen on their way to East Africa. The current head of the Houthi movement is 45-year-old Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. Several of his predecessors were killed by Americans, Arabian or European attacks. The loss of so many Houthi leaders has not disrupted the violent activities of the Houthis due to the aid of Iranian-supplied missiles and drones and electronic targeting against shipping in the Red Sea and an occasional missile attack on Israel. The Israeli missile defense system blocks most Houthi attacks, but the Houthis are satisfied that they are able to make such attacks. These attacks justify the hundreds of million dollars’ worth of missiles and other military aid Iran has sent to the Houthis. In return the Houthis impose a brutal dictatorship over the twenty million people of northern Yemen. The Houthis see frequent violence as the most effective way to keep Yemeni civilians in line. The Houthis gradually seized control of all major businesses in Yemen. This plunder finances Houthis terrorist activities. Iran is broke but could, until recently, supply missiles. These must be smuggled into Yemen by sea or overland from ports with bribable officials.
Western efforts to disrupt Houthi violence via assassination of Houthi leaders have failed. The Houthis clan is large and there are always replacements. At best, the assassinations cause some disruption in Houthi operations. Opponents are dealing with a death cult that disregards the loss of Yemeni civilians and leaders so they can concentrate on attacking Israel and its allies. Few of their attacks do any damage and usually elicit retaliatory attacks that kill a lot of Houthis, Yemenis and any Iranians in the way. Any Yemenis or Iranians who protest this treatment are attacked and often killed by Houthi or Iranian forces. The Israeli/Western response is to kill as many Houthi supporters and Iranian allies as possible. This approach largely destroyed the Iran backed Hezbollah militia in 2024. Hezbollah still exists but was rendered ineffective for months and is still trying to rebuild. Disrupting Houthi finances and logistical operations are essential. Even terrorists must be paid and there is so much oil wealth in the Persian Gulf that enough of it leaks to Islamic terrorist groups to keep the Houthis going. These lessons were learned by 18th Century British colonial officials. Their counter-terrorism advice was to shoot on sight, shoot first and keep on shooting. In that respect the Islamic terrorists and their foreign opponents used the same tactics.
https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htlead/articles/2025052701242.aspx#gsc.tab=0
