For months, Iran threatened neighbors by firing missiles and drones. Fearing a larger conflict, Saudi Arabia has not responded and has even urged diplomacy. Now that the Houthis are firing on the holiest site in Islam, the Saudis can fight back. They should help the Yemeni government finish off one of Iran’s remaining proxies.
The war in Iran has drawn most of the attention over the past few months, but Iran’s proxies are still kicking. With Iran’s tactics in the Strait of Hormuz not paying off, the Houthi offensive in Yemen is creating a second front on the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Yemeni government sources so far have been unable to stop the Houthis, as the terror group now controls territory on the Strait, putting 10% of global trade at risk.
So who exactly are the Houthis? Founded in the 1990s in opposition to Yemen’s central government, the Houthis rose to world attention after rebellions that came to light during the Arab Spring. A radical Islamist group, the Houthis are proud members of Iran’s axis of resistance. The Houthis have been receiving weapons and funds from Iran for decades that they not only use in their war against Yemen’s government, but also to aid Iran in its conflicts with Israel and other Middle Eastern nations.
The Houthis are a rebel group, so why is Yemen struggling to fight them? Part of the problem is there isn’t a united ‘Yemen’ that the Houthis are fighting. The forces opposing the Houthis are divided between the central government, backed by Saudi Arabia, and the Southern Transitional Authority (STC), backed by the UAE. The division of the opposition combined with Saudi Arabia’s weariness of the previous round of fighting has given the Houthis confidence that they are the stronger party in this war.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member