Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the enigmatic leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, whose attacks on ships in the Red Sea have caught the attention of the US and British militaries, has turned the lowly “sandal militia” into a force challenging the world’s major powers, according to Reuters.

Several shipping lines have suspended operations or taken longer routes around Africa because of a campaign by Houthi rebels, who rule much of Yemen after losing a war against Saudi-backed forces.

The Iran-backed militants have vowed to keep up the pressure on global maritime trade, which could damage the global economy, until Israel stops bombing Gaza to eliminate Hamas, which is also backed by Iran.

Houthi rebels said they would retaliate after US and British warplanes, ships and submarines struck Yemen overnight in response to attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a continuation of the regional conflict over the Gaza conflict, which is believed to some analysts, could undermine the rebels’ hard-won domestic gains.

“They’ve been able to survive for the last eight years, they’ve expanded their power, but now they’re effectively inviting airstrikes from the most powerful military in the world,” said Tobias Bork, senior Middle East security researcher at Royal. Joint Services Institute.

• Read also: Who are the Houthi rebels, who supports them and why are they attacking ships in the Red Sea

Al-Houthi, reputation as a fierce leader in battles

Al-Houthi built a reputation as a brutal battlefield commander before becoming head of the Houthi movement, which has been fighting a Saudi-led military coalition since 2015 in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. devastated Yemen’s economy and left millions hungry.

Under the leadership of 40-year-old al-Houthi, the group has recruited tens of thousands of fighters and a huge arsenal of armed drones and ballistic missiles. It has used them to repeatedly strike Saudi Arabia’s strategic infrastructure, despite years of bombing its territory.

In January 2022, the terrorist organization upped the ante with a missile strike against the United Arab Emirates, a hub for tourism and trade in the Persian Gulf, as well as Saudi Arabia, a key US ally.

“He (al-Houthi) has managed to transform a rural militia that was mainly engaged in insurgent tactics into one of the most resilient non-state armed groups in the region,” said Ludovico Carlino, senior analyst at HIS Markit.

In a speech in 2022, al-Houthi said his goal was to be able to hit any target in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, both major oil producers in OPEC, which see Iran and its proxies as the main security threat to the world. Middle East and beyond.

A leader shrouded in mystery

Al-Houthi is known for rarely staying in one place for long, never meeting the press and being extremely reticent about scheduled public appearances.

Since the start of the war in Yemen, which many see as a proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, foreign officials dealing with al-Houthi have never met, a source familiar with the matter said. with him personally.

Many of those looking for dates were told to travel to the Houthi stronghold in Sana’a, where a convoy of Houthi security would take them to safe houses and undergo a security check, before taking them to an upstairs room where he appears only on screen.

The Houthi movement was created to fight for the interests of Zaydi Shiites, a minority sect that ruled Yemen’s 1,000-year-old kingdom until 1962 but has increasingly felt threatened by the 1990-2012 rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Iran’s support for the Houthi rebels, who forced Yemen’s Saudi-backed and internationally recognized government into exile in 2021, has helped Tehran expand its regional proxy network, which includes Hezbollah in Lebanon and militants in Iraq and Syria.

Yemeni experts say the Houthi rebels are primarily driven by a domestic agenda, although they share political allegiances with Iran and Hezbollah. The organization denies being a puppet of Tehran and says it is fighting a corrupt system and regional aggression.

“Axis of resistance” supported by Iran

Iran supports the Houthi rebels as part of the “regional axis of resistance” – a series of Iranian-backed groups – and the movement has adopted elements of Tehran’s revolutionary ideology.

Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse Iran of arming and training the Houthis, a charge Tehran denies. Analysts say they are still more independent than Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“He (al-Houthi) owes less to the Iranians than Hezbollah. In other words, he’s not being told to do x, y and z, and he’s doing it,” said Peter Salisbury, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group.

Shifting Alliances / Descendants of Muhammad

The Houthis, like other camps in Yemeni politics, operate in a field of shifting alliances.

In late 2017, they killed former President Saleh in a roadside RPG ambush after he defected to the Saudi-led alliance. They also created a military state to strengthen their control.

“The Houthis also rely on a very brutal internal intelligence apparatus, suppressing any dissent,” analyst Carlino said.

In pre-recorded speeches and sermons, al-Houthi, who claims descent from the Prophet Muhammad, says his movement is under complete siege because of its religion.

“We must focus on preserving the authenticity of our Islamic affiliation and identity,” he said in a speech, denouncing a “war for influence” aimed at weakening Houthi morale. “Today we face a most dangerous war.” (Reuters)