Yemen’s Houthi rebels are led by an enigmatic leader many say they have never seen in person.
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, 44, took over as leader of the terror group after his brother, Hussein, was killed in 2004, according to Middle East Eye.
Over the past two decades, the al-Houthis have transformed the once rapacious group – made up mostly of Zaydi Muslims, an offshoot of Shia Islam – into an Iran-backed militia that controls much of Yemen.
Recently, the Houthis have sparked fears of war across the Middle East region by attacking shipping vessels in the Red Sea during the Israel-Hamas war and prompting the West to launch counterattacks, including Thursday.
This week’s strikes by the US and the UK hit five Yemeni provinces under Houthi control, killing at least five people and wounding six others.
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi is the mysterious and ruthless leader of the Houthi rebels. Reuters
A senior Houthi official, Hussein al-Ezzi, vowed that the US and Britain would “pay a heavy price” for the attack.
Under al-Houthi’s command, the rebel group has spent the last 10 years fighting the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen in a proxy war that has killed tens of thousands of people and devastated the country’s economy.
The Houthis have huge weapons and tens of thousands of fighters.
Although Iran has repeatedly denied that the group receives support from Tehran, those familiar with the region consider the Houthis to be part of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance” along with Palestinian terrorist groups Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah – but note that al- The Houthis are not dependent on Iranian support like Hezbollah.
“[Al-Houthi] managed to transform a rural militia that mostly engaged in insurgency tactics into one of the most resilient non-state armed groups in the region,” Ludovico Carlino, lead analyst for country risk, Middle East and North Africa at HIS Markit, told Reuters.
Peter Salisbury, a senior analyst for the International Crisis Group, added, “[Al-Houthi] less tied to Iran than Hezbollah.
“In other words, he wasn’t told to do x, y and z and he did it.”
Al-Houthi – whose family traces its lineage to the Prophet Muhammad – is known for rarely staying in one place and never meeting the media.
Yemeni Houthi supporters chanted anti-Israel and anti-US slogans during a solidarity march with the Palestinians. AFP via Getty Images
Foreign officials who have dealt with the Houthis since the start of the conflict in Yemen have never met him face-to-face, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters.
Those who wanted to meet al-Houthi were taken to a safe house in the Sanaa stronghold, where he appeared only through a screen in a safe room.
But al-Houthi’s undisputed reputation belies the brutality at the core of his regime, experts say.
The Houthis have attacked ships in the Red Sea. Houthi movement via Getty Images
At the end of 2017, the Houthis killed former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh after he defected to the Saudi-led opposition.
The group runs a strict military state to maintain its grip on the country.
“The Houthis also rely on a very brutal internal intelligence apparatus, repressing any kind of dissent,” Carlino explained.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
