New Delhi:
Israel and Yemen’s Houthi rebels have now come face to face, due to which they are being discussed a lot. Drone attacks by Houthi rebels targeting Israeli military sites have increased significantly in recent days. After this, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly announced that the outcome of the Houthi group will be the same as that of other terrorist groups. He said Israel is not acting alone, but the United States and other nations also share the view that the Houthis pose a threat not only to international shipping, but also to the global order.
Let us tell you what Houthi is, who is its top leader and what is its enmity with Israel.
The Houthi rebels are an Islamic political and military organization operating in Yemen. They emerged in the 1990s, when they started a rebellion against the government of Yemen. Houthi rebels have the support of Iran. Its full name is ‘Ansar Allah’, which means ‘Helpers of Allah’. The main objective of this organization is to protest against the Yemen government and implement Islamic laws.
Abu Jibril is the top commander of Houthi
The top commander of the Houthi rebel group is Abdul Malik al-Houthi, also known as Abu Jibril. He is the brother of Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, who rebelled against the Yemeni government in 2004 and was killed by the Yemeni army in September the same year.
Houthi is a minority Shia community of Yemen. The Sunni population in Yemen is about 60 percent, while the Shia population is about 35 percent.
Houthi considers Israel its enemy
There are many reasons for the hostility of the Houthi rebels towards Israel. Houthi considers Israel its enemy. He believes that Israel works against Muslim countries in the Middle East. Israel also violates the rights of the Palestinian people. Apart from this, the Houthis alleged that Israel is waging a military campaign against them in Yemen. It is also supporting Saudi Arabia to fight against it.
Following the recent increase in Houthi drone attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a warning, saying, “We will attack the Houthis hard, targeting their strategic infrastructure and beheading their leaders.”
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sariya said that these operations against Israel will not stop until the Israeli attack on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted.
Now a face to face fight between Israel and Houthi
The Houthis have sporadically targeted Israel since October in support of the Palestinians in Gaza. In response, Israel has launched several large-scale airstrikes on Yemen, the most recent of which occurred last Thursday. Since November 2023, the Houthis have been launching rocket and drone attacks on Israeli cities and disrupting ‘Israeli-linked’ shipping in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Houthi group is launching rockets and drones towards Israeli cities. It is also targeting ‘Israeli-linked’ shipping in the Red Sea from November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
On October 7, in response to a major attack by Hamas in Israel, the Jewish State launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip occupied by the Palestinian group. About 1200 people were killed in the Hamas attack, while more than 250 people were taken hostage. Israeli attacks have caused massive destruction in Gaza and killed thousands of Palestinians.
Houthi control over most parts of Yemen
The Houthi group has controlled most of Yemen since late 2014, forcing Yemen’s internationally recognized government out of the capital, Sanaa. The internationally recognized Yemeni government, led by the Presidential Leadership Council since April 2022, controls mainly the southern and eastern regions. It has given Aden the status of temporary capital.
The civil war that has been going on for a decade has had a very bad impact on the Arab country. UN agencies estimate that by the end of 2021, the conflict had directly and indirectly killed 377,000 people. The United Nations has declared the situation in Yemen ‘the world’s largest humanitarian crisis’.
Efforts for peace continue in Yemen
Currently, approximately 21.6 million people (two-thirds of Yemen’s population) are dependent on humanitarian assistance. Over the past decade, several international efforts to promote peace in Yemen have met with limited success.
A notable ceasefire agreement in April 2022 lasted for six months. However, since then both sides have largely maintained a ‘de facto ceasefire’.
