Yemen's al-Houthi leads defiant force under US attack

Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen's Houthi fighters whose Red Sea attacks have drawn U.S. strikes, has emerged as Iran's most prominent Arab ally and an enduring thorn in Israel's side after many of its enemies were killed in the last year.

Al-Houthi, who is in his 40s, had already led his group through a decade of war against a powerful Saudi-led coalition when it waded into conflict with Israel, declaring solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza after the Hamas-led October 7 attacks.

After weeks of relative calm in Red Sea shipping lanes following a Gaza ceasefire in January, the Houthis warned on March 12 they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels in response to Israel's closure of Gaza's crossings.

Appearing in a broadcast speech with a traditional Yemeni dagger in his belt, al-Houthi called Israel's blockade a crime against humanity that could not be ignored and accused Arab states of inaction.

An enigmatic figure with a reputation as a fierce commander, al-Houthi has remained defiant despite U.S. military retaliation for his group's attacks on shipping and Israeli blows to his Iran-backed allies.

These included the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in last year's Lebanon war, the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and the elimination in Gaza of Yahya Sinwar, an architect of Hamas' October 7 cross-border raids.

"The Houthi movement is now the leading Arab member of the Iran-led axis, following Hezbollah's defeat. They're filling Nasrallah's position in defending Gaza," said Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center.

"Supporting Gaza is a popular act inside Yemen. They have been bombed for many months now by the U.S., and before that for years by Saudi Arabia, so they are very resilient."

In February, al-Houthi threatened military action if the United States and Israel sought to displace Palestinians from Gaza and called U.S. President Donald Trump a criminal.

A series of U.S. strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday included the town of Dahyan in Saada, where al-Houthi often meets visitors. However, the battlefield commander rarely stays long in one place, never meets the media, and is known for an extreme reluctance to appear in public.

Under al-Houthi's direction, his movement of mountain fighters has grown to number tens of thousands and has built an increasingly sophisticated arsenal, including drones and ballistic missiles.

SHI'ITE INFLUENCE

Yemen's civil war erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa. Worried by the growing influence of Shi'ite Iran along its border, Saudi Arabia led a Western-backed coalition in March 2015 to support the Saudi-backed government.

The Houthis established control over much of the north and other large population centres, while the internationally recognised government based itself in the port city of Aden.

The war, which has abated since a ceasefire in 2022, has killed tens of thousands, devastated Yemen's economy and left millions hungry.

During its most intense phase, the conflict featured Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. In January 2022, they also launched a missile attack on Gulf commercial hub the United Arab Emirates, like Saudi Arabia a key U.S. ally.

In a speech in 2022, al-Houthi said his goal was to be able to strike any target in Saudi Arabia or the UAE, both major OPEC oil producers who view Iran and its proxies as major security threats to the Middle East and beyond.

The Houthis have stopped such attacks since the ceasefire. But the Yemen peace process has been stalled amid the Gaza war and Red Sea attacks.

Since the start of the war - widely seen as a proxy conflict between Riyadh and Tehran - foreign officials who dealt with al-Houthi have never met him in person, said a source familiar with the matter.

Many seeking meetings were asked to travel to the Houthi stronghold Sanaa, where a security convoy would take them to safe houses and conduct security checks before leading them to an upstairs room where al-Houthi would only appear on a screen.

His Houthi movement was formed to fight for the interests of the Zaydi Shi'ites, a minority sect that ruled a 1,000-year-old kingdom in Yemen until 1962 but felt marginalised during the 1990-2012 rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the first president of a unified Yemen.

The Houthis deny being puppets of Tehran and say they are fighting a corrupt system and regional aggression. Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse Iran of arming and training them, which Tehran denies.

In late 2017, the Houthis assassinated ex-president Saleh in a roadside ambush after he switched sides in the war and the movement now controls most of Yemen in a military state.

In pre-recorded speeches and sermons, al-Houthi, who traces his lineage to the Prophet Mohammad, asserts that his movement is under siege because of its religion.

"We must focus on preserving the authenticity of our Islamic affiliation and identity," he once said, "Today we are facing the most dangerous war."

Reuters