Yemeni Houthis with Iranian support have become a powerful military force - ONN
Kyiv • UNN
According to the UN, the Yemeni Houthis have increased their numbers to 350,000 fighters and are receiving support from Iran. The group has carried out more than 130 attacks on ships in the Red Sea since November 2023.
The Yemeni Houthi rebels have evolved from a local armed group with limited capabilities into a powerful military organization that enjoys the support of Iran, Iraqi armed groups, Lebanese Hezbollah militants and others. This was reported by the Associated Press with reference to a report by the UN Security Council, UNN reports.
Details
The Iranian-backed Houthis have used the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip to gain popularity in the region and beyond, experts monitoring sanctions against the Houthis said in a 537-page report to the UN Security Council.
To support Hamas, the Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, violating the rules of world navigation in a key geopolitical region.
Despite Houthi claims that their targets would be ships linked to Israel, the commission said its investigations showed that the rebels were indiscriminately targeting ships.
An analysis of data from the International Maritime Organization, the United States, and the United Kingdom showed that between November 15, 2023, and July 31, 2024, at least 134 attacks were made from Houthi controlled areas on merchant and commercial vessels, as well as US and British warships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
According to experts, the Houthis used a new Hatem-2 ballistic missile during their attacks.
UN experts have stated that the Yemeni conflict, which began as an internal struggle and escalated into a regional confrontation, "has now grown into a major international crisis.
According to experts, the number of Houthi militants is currently estimated at 350,000, up from 220,000 in 2022 and 30,000 in 2015.
The group has observed the transformation of the Houthis from a local armed group with limited capabilities into a powerful military organization that is expanding its operational capabilities far beyond the territories under its control,
Experts said that the transformation was made possible by the transfer of military equipment and training conducted by the elite forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah, as well as Iraqi specialists and technicians.
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