Yemen’s Houthis emerge from Gaza war, emboldened, and with more enemies Once a largely local threat, Houthis now challenge Israeli and Western interests, leading to increased focus.
The Houthis have gone through something of a transformation in their reputation since the onset of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023
A rebel group from Yemen’s far north, the Houthis had fought the Yemeni government and a Saudi-led coalition for almost a decade, proving a degree of military prowess, but had little ability to project power regionally, even as they occasionally fired missiles and drones towards Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
And domestically, among many Yemenis, they were unpopular, regarded by their enemies as a theocratic and repressive group that wanted to end Yemen’s republic – even as the Iranian ally defended their takeover of much of Yemen as a popular revolution.
A lot has changed in the past 16 months as the Houthis demonstrated their capabilities – firing projectiles deep into Israel and causing damage – as well as their willingness to challenge the West and attack shipping in the seas around Yemen, all ostensibly in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.
For those actions, among many in the region and beyond, the Houthis have become a symbol of resistance against Israel and the West and the true representative of the Yemeni state.
And domestically, it has proven difficult for the group’s enemies to criticise their actions in support of the Palestinians, a popular position in a country as staunchly pro-Palestinian as Yemen.
