Israel's Focus on the 'Last Arm' of the Islamic Republic; Meet the Houthis of Yemen

Following heavy blows to the Islamic Republic's proxies in Syria, Hamas, and Hezbollah, Israel has shifted its focus to the Houthis in Yemen, considered the Islamic Republic's arm in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Benjamin Netanyahu states that the Houthis are nearly the last arm of the Islamic Republic's axis of evil. He has mentioned that Israel strikes this group on behalf of the entire international community. But who are the Houthis? The Houthis, or 'Ansar Allah Movement', are a group of Zaydi Shia in Yemen that formed in the 1990s in the Saada province in northern Yemen. Their political thoughts are evident in their flag; they oppose the US and Israel, aligning with the policies of the Islamic Republic. The Houthis are among the armed groups supported by the Islamic Republic in the region, referred to as the 'Resistance Axis', and their leaders meet with Ali Khamenei. While the people of Yemen are witnessing famine and a humanitarian crisis, the Houthis target Israeli territory and commercial ships with missiles from the Islamic Republic in support of Hamas. The name 'Houthi' comes from Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, the founder of this movement, who was killed in 2004 during a war with the then Yemeni government, and leadership passed to his brother Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. The Houthis became a militia force and engaged in armed conflict with the government of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the then president of Yemen, from 2004 to 2010. Following the fall of Saleh's government in 2011, they gained power in northern Yemen. In 2014, they seized Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, and overthrew the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, which intensified the Yemeni civil war. The Houthis had political relations with the Islamic Republic since the 1990s, but it was in the early 2010s that Tehran began extensive financial and military support for this group, including drones, ballistic missiles, and anti-ship missiles. Since last year, the Houthis have targeted commercial ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait in support of Hamas. The US has deployed its forces to the region to counter this threat and has conducted airstrikes against Houthi positions several times. The Houthis have also launched missiles towards Israel multiple times. In response, Israel has attacked targets in Yemen. Ilan Berman: The most significant challenge for the Trump administration in the Middle East is containing the Houthis. Israeli 'precise' strikes on Yemen; Katz: 'Our long arm' reaches the Houthis. Israel: The Iranian government supports and directs the terrorist activities of the Houthis. Netanyahu: The Houthis are the last arm of the Islamic Republic's axis of evil.