UN Report on Strengthening of Houthis by the Islamic Republic and Hezbollah

A report by UN experts indicates that the Houthis in Yemen have become a "powerful military organization" with unprecedented support from the Islamic Republic and Hezbollah of Lebanon. According to the report, covering the period from September 2023 to July 2024, the Houthis have transformed into a capable military force through receiving equipment and military training from the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah, and other groups supporting the Islamic Republic in Iraq, significantly expanding their operational capabilities. The report also emphasizes that Houthi forces have received tactical and technical training outside Yemen, particularly in Iran and Hezbollah training centers in Lebanon, with Hezbollah playing a significant role in the decision-making structure, financial support, ideological indoctrination, and media propaganda of this group. UN experts noted that the Houthis have managed to increase their forces from 30,000 in 2015 to about 350,000 by mid-2024 through launching a "broad recruitment campaign." The experts stressed that despite the unprecedented volume and nature of military equipment and technology transfers to the Houthis and the financial and educational support from the Islamic Republic, the group is still unable to independently produce and develop complex weapons. The report states that the missiles used by the Houthis to attack ships in the Red Sea bear many similarities to equipment used by the Islamic Republic and its allied groups. According to the report, the Houthis are currently exploring the possibility of launching maritime attacks from the shores of Somalia to expand their operational area, which could lead to closer ties with Al-Shabaab and potentially facilitate arms transfers between the two parties. UN experts have also expressed concern about the increasing collaboration of the Houthis with other terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. On Friday, November 3, the report, prepared by a group of experts from the UN Security Council, was published. Since the beginning of the Gaza war in October of last year, the Houthis have targeted over 80 commercial vessels with missiles and drones. They have also seized one ship, sunk two others, and killed four sailors. Meanwhile, many of the Houthis' missiles and drones have been intercepted by the US-led naval coalition and have not reached their targets in the Red Sea, including Western military ships. The US response to the Islamic Republic's nuclear and missile rhetoric: We will not allow it. Assessments of the Islamic Republic's failure to create deterrence against Israel. Escalation of the Islamic Republic's threatening rhetoric amid the peak of the Middle East crisis. The Houthis targeted a chemical tanker in the Red Sea. Attacks by the Houthis on a ship in the Red Sea. CENTCOM's attack on fifteen Houthi positions; military bases and an airport controlled by the Houthis were targeted.