Yemen: UN warns of strengthening Houthi rebels supported from abroad
Since the start of the war in Gaza a year ago, the Houthi rebels, who control large areas of Yemen, have “they exploited the regional situation and strengthened their cooperation with the “axis of resistance”” that brings together Iran and groups such as the Palestinian Hamas or the Lebanese Hezbollah, warns a report by a UN expert published on Friday.
In this context, “the movement has evolved from a local armed group with limited capabilities to a powerful military organization, which has extended its operational capabilities far beyond the territories it controls”according to the report covering the period from September 2023 to the end of July 2024.
A transformation facilitated by “the transfer of equipment and the assistance and training provided by the Al-Quds Force”an elite Revolutionary Guard Corps unit in Iran, by Hezbollah and by pro-Iran groups in Iraq, they believe, referring to the establishment of “joint operating centers” in Iraq and Lebanon “coordinate joint military actions”.
“The scale, nature and volume of transfers from external sources of various military equipment and technologies to the Houthis, including financial support and training of fighters, are unprecedented.”worries experts.
Based on testimony from military experts, Yemeni officials and people close to the Houthis, the experts judge that the Yemeni rebels have not “there is no capacity to develop and produce complex weapons systems”like some missiles they use to target ships in the Red Sea. On the other hand, they point out “similarities between the different equipment used by the Houthis and those produced and used” by Iran and pro-Iran groups.
Experts also indicate that for several years Houthi fighters have received “Tactical and technical training outside Yemen”especially in Iran and in Hezbollah training centers in Lebanon.
The report also describes how Yemeni rebels used the argument of solidarity with the Palestinians to launch a “great recruitment campaign”. The estimates cited in the text indicate a number of combatants of 350,000 in mid-2024, compared to 220,000 in 2022 and 30,000 in 2015.
