Meet the Houthis: The Houthis are a Shiite terrorist organization established in northwest Yemen in 1992 by Hussein al-Houthi. Today they are led by his son, Abd al-Malik al-Houthi. Their goal? To expand Shiite influence in Yemen and worldwide, while vehemently opposing Sunnis and Western powers.

What does their logo symbolize? The Houthis’ logo is much more than just a graphic design. It contains slogans that speak for themselves: “God is the Greatest” “Death to America” “Death to Israel” “Curse upon the Jews” “Victory for Islam” Not exactly a message of world peace. These slogans are effectively the movement’s mantra and represent their extreme ideology – anti-Western, anti-Israel, and antisemitic.

The Houthis’ Goals and Ideology: The Houthis aim to turn Yemen into a strong and influential Shiite stronghold. They want to impose their ideology on the country and eliminate any foreign influence, and they have a long list of enemies: Sunni countries (like Saudi Arabia), Sunni Muslim organizations (ISIS and Al-Qaeda), and of course – the United States and Israel.

Impressive Military Power – and What’s Behind It The Houthis have a large army – between 350,000 and 500,000 fighters – with advanced weapons, missiles, and drones. Who helps them behind the scenes is Iran, which provides them with both weapons and training through the Revolutionary Guards.

Houthis in the International Arena and the Iron Swords War During the Iron Swords War, the Houthis declared war on Israel, fired missiles at civilian targets in Israel, and supported Hamas and Hezbollah. They also attacked Western ships in the Red Sea, which led the United States to form a coalition to secure shipping routes in the area.

The Civil War in Yemen The Houthis, who began working to overthrow Yemen’s government as early as 2004, joined the “Arab Spring” waves in 2011 and through violent resistance contributed to the fall of the Yemeni government. In 2014, they captured Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and declared a coup. Since then, Yemen has been mired in civil war. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been trying to push them out since 2015, but without success and the fighting continues to this day.

Systematic Human Rights Violators: The Houthis commit widespread human rights violations, including torture, exploitation of women and children, and enslavement of vulnerable groups. According to reports, they have revived slavery in Yemen – women are kidnapped and exploited as sex slaves and children are recruited to fight and used as human shields. Additionally, the Houthis are accused of using deadly landmines in civilian areas, diverting humanitarian aid for personal gain, and exploiting refugees and asylum seekers. They also persecute minorities, such as the LGBTQ+ community, punishing its members with prison sentences and even death.

What is the situation in Yemen today? The situation is very difficult: Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world, with severe hunger, a shortage of water and medicine, and citizens struggling to survive. The UN defines the war there as the most severe humanitarian disaster in the world today.

Additional Links / References / Sources 

https://www.shabak.gov.il/reports/terrororganizations/ https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%97%D7%95%D7%AA%27%D7%99%D7%9D https://www.britannica.com/topic/Houthi-movement