Armed forces, which have become indispensable to Iran after the losses inflicted on its Palestinian and Lebanese factions, the Houthi rebels in Yemen announce that they will continue to exert pressure on the Israeli state despite the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
Since the beginning of the conflict between the State of Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian territories, the Houthis of Yemen have never stopped firing dozens of missiles and drones towards Israel, thus targeting the vessels they believe are linked to it, notably in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Armed members and claimed as a major partner of the Iranian resistance axis, engaged in support of the Palestinians, these numerous and scattered groups remain particularly active despite the repeated strikes carried out by Israel, the United States and sometimes the United Kingdom.
Based primarily in northern Yemen, the Houthis, after overthrowing the Yemeni government in Sanaa in 2014, have since seized large swaths of territory, with the support of Tehran, Israel’s sworn enemy.
Unconditional and visceral support for the axis of resistance initiated by Iran against Israel, which also brings together the Islamist movements of Hamas, Iraqi groups, and the Lebanese Hezbollah. But unlike these groups, which have been largely put to the test in recent months by the attacks of the Israeli army, the Houthis « They have strengthened and are now an indispensable member of the axis »That's a big problem," points out Thomas Juneau, a professor at the University of Ottawa.
Therefore, they are « They have become much more important for Iran », emphasizes this specialist on Yemen.
Their fighting and attacks against both the Israeli army and its Star-Spangled ally in the Gaza conflict further strengthen their popularity in Yemen, a very poor country whose 30 million inhabitants are largely in favor of the Islamist cause.
As early as last Friday, their military spokesman Yahya Saree reported on three new «successful» military operations against Israel, as well as a fourth targeting a US aircraft carrier operating in the Red Sea. For the time being, these attacks have not yet been confirmed by either the Israeli or the American military.
The leader of the rebels, Abdel Malek al-Houthi, had announced the day before that the cessation of hostilities would depend on Tsahal’s strict compliance with the truce agreement in Gaza.
« We will follow the steps of implementing the agreement, and if there is even the slightest Israeli violation, massacre, or siege, we will be ready. to react », he declared in a speech broadcast on the television channel of their organization.
A speech lacking in diplomacy in which Abdel Malek al-Houthi also reaffirmed that his movement would continue to mobilize fighters and develop its military arsenal in preparation for the «next round of confrontation,» comments Mohammed Al-Basha, founder of Basha Report, a risk advisory firm based in the United States.
A new wave of popular support
Also on Friday, several movements of thousands of Yemenis gathered in areas under Houthi control, notably in Sanaa. As every week for the last 15 months, a sea of jubilant people flooded the center of the capital, held in an iron grip by the rebels.
« We are here to celebrate the victory (of the Palestinians), the victory of our missiles and drones that forced Israel to stop its aggression against Gaza », claims one of the protesters, Zeid al-Astout.
Further down the road, Khaled al-Matri, a Houthi supporter, still wants to believe in the truce agreement announced on Wednesday. But « We will not bend, until the disappearance of the Zionist entity, if God wills » he added before shouting « Death to America, death to Israel ».
In Hodeida, a city in the west of the country also controlled by the Houthis, some residents are more measured, albeit discreetly:« The Houthis have never done anything positive. Their support for Gaza is the only thing that allows them to maintain their image »I'm wary," Assem Mohammed, 36, said.
Hanaa Abdel Rahmane, a teacher in the same city, fears that the Houthis will try at all costs to maintain « The popular momentum gained through their support for Palestine », at the risk of exacerbating reprisals against Yemen, which is already devastated by ten years of civil war.
According to Professor Thomas Juneau at the University of Ottawa, the attacks could only cease in the short term after the ceasefire scheduled for Sunday comes into effect and the exchange of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. But given their regional objectives, ideology, and constant pressure on the Iranian ally, it is more than likely that the Houthis will once again brandish the threat of attacks in the Red Sea in order to maintain pressure on the Jewish state, as well as on the United States.
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