The Houthis, once unknown as the "Slipper Army", have shocked the world in recent days by launching an attack on the British oil tanker Marin Luanda in the Red Sea, revealing the secret that Western countries are still secretly importing their energy while sanctioning Russia.
Today, the Houthis have been reborn as a well-trained regular army. According to intelligence, they have a combat force of 70,000 to 100,000 people, a militia of 20,000 to 30,000 people, and 10,000 to 150,000 paramilitary forces. They also have a wide range of equipment, including suicide drones, anti-ship cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. So, how did they go from being a loose straggler to a militarily powerful organization?
The Houthis have caused a storm in the international shipping community, and they have frequently attacked targets in the Red Sea waters and even fired missiles at US ships. While they didn't make it clear whether they hit their target or not, the action has made them famous in the global shipping community. What is the motivation behind their actions? Are they sending a message?
In 2014, in a conflict with a 10-nation coalition of Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states, the Houthis were effective in ground operations, conducting 22,849 sniper operations, 3,365 offensive operations and 4,125 defensive operations, despite the coalition's absolute superiority in air operations, with more than 150,000 air strikes and more than 500,000 bombs, including more than 60,000 cluster bombs. They wounded and captured about 100,000 coalition troops, shot down 19 Apache fixed-wing fighters and 240 drones, and destroyed a large number of combat vehicles.
This military confrontation, which lasted for 5-6 years, cost Saudi Arabia alone as much as $80 billion in military spending, and in the end, Yemen's Houthi rebels ended in a complete victory. The ** equipment of the confiscated coalition forces alone is enough to equip an army of 100,000 troops! So how do they do it? What's the story behind their victory?
All of these achievements show that the Houthis are a tough opponent with considerable combat capability and popular support. The United States has refrained from launching a direct military assault on the Houthis, perhaps concerned about the high military and political costs of direct involvement, as well as problems with regional countries. In addition, the Houthis are supported by Iran, adding to the complexity of the conflict.
The United States may still be waiting for the right moment to step in, or seek a diplomatic solution to tensions in the region. So, will the United States take action? What does the future hold for the Houthis? In the last few issues, I talked about the probability that the United States may have a direct ground confrontation with the Houthis in Yemen is not high!
All these questions make people full of curiosity about the Houthis. Stay tuned for the follow-up!