Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis have recruited and trained more than 200,000 new fighters since the group began its actions in the Red Sea in support of Palestine.
To pressure Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza, the militant group has been intercepting and attacking Israel-linked ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on their way to the Suez Canal. Popular support gave the Houthi militants enormous political capital in Yemen and led to the recruitment of “tens of thousands” of new fighters.
Analysts are concerned that this surge may drastically alter the political landscape in Yemen and scupper any chances of a ceasefire in Yemen’s near-decade of civil war.
The Houthi militants have also widened their attacks to include ships linked to a US-led coalition that is currently attacking their positions in Yemen.
According to Nasr al-Din Amer, a Houthi militant, an agreement was still on the table, despite fears over future Houthi offensives that could hinder a ceasefire deal.
Based on his research, the estimate of new Houthi militants at close to 150,000 as of February 12. One of the militant leaders stated, “Even the Houthis’ sworn enemies are with them as long as they are standing for Palestinians.”
The Houthis had earlier organized a military parade in Sanaa for 16,000 individuals who were reported to have graduated from the training and will purportedly battle the Israelis in Palestine.
At the same time, Yemeni military officers on the ground have said that the Houthis have begun to deploy many of those freshly recruited individuals around the nation.
The Houthi militia began their Red Sea actions in November and recruits started joining soon after, many under the impression that they would be able to fight Israel or their main backer, the US. The group’s attacks show little sign of abating, despite US and British forces’ retaliatory strikes on Houthi facilities that began in January.
The offensive against the terror group began on October 7 when thousands of Hamas gunmen invaded Israel’s south, killing some 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages.
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