Why do the Houthis, a rebel terrorist group in Yemen, hate Israel?
Who are the Houthis?
Named after the organization’s founder, Hussein al-Houthi, the Houthis are a Zaydi Shiite insurgent rebel group from Yemen.
The Houthi movement emerged in the 1990s in response to Saudi Arabia’s growing regional influence. The civil war in Yemen is seen as a front for the Iran-Saudi proxy war.
Houthi ideology became radicalized after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.
What do the Houthis believe?
Houthi militants refer to themselves as “Ansar Allah,” translating to the Partisans of God. The Houthis’ manifesto highlights the organization’s political ambitions to reinstate the chosen Ahl al-Bayt (prophet in the line of succession from Mohamad) to lead the Muslim ummah, or community.
God is great, death to the U.S., death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory for Islam.”
— Houthi slogan
Unlike Hamas, the Houthis view themselves as fighting a Holy War (jihad) against the Jews.
Hate for the Jews
Central to the Houthi political ideology is a hatred for the Jews. In a sermon, Hussein al-Houthi claimed the Jews are cursed for rejecting Muhammad, and in doing so, the Jewish people became corrupted and evil.
He stated the Jews “deserved to be damned” for their rejection of Islam.
We have a great desire to fight the Jews, because of the Quranic verses and divine decrees that order us to fight the Jews. We have this desire to kill the Jews or be killed by them. This is our desire, our dream, since we set forth on this path.”
– Nasr Al-Din Amer, Houthi Deputy Minister of Information
Who are the Houthis aligned with?
The Houthis and Iran share a common enemy in the Saudis, making the Houthis a natural ally of the Iranian regime.
Hezbollah in Lebanon serves as a role model for the Houthis, providing them training and mentorship.
Today, the Houthis are part of Iran’s Axis of Resistance. However, the Houthis are the most autonomous of Iran’s proxy terror organizations.
Hamas and the Houthis
Today, the Houthis continue their reign of terror in the Red Sea by seizing, droning, or misfiling cargo vessels en route to the Suez Canal.
They claim to be targeting any vessel heading to an Israeli port, as the Houthis join Hamas in the fight against Israel.
Why it matters
Roughly 15% of global trade travels through the Suez Canal. What the Houthis are conducting is nothing short of a campaign of economic terrorism threatening the global supply chain.
Above all else, the Houthis are provoking the West into military action, which threatens spillover into larger regional conflict.
Read more from the Philos Project blog
RESOURCES:
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/who-are-yemens-houthis
https://www.cfr.org/article/irans-regional-armed-network
https://www.adl.org/resources/news/why-do-houthis-curse-jews