Growing Rapidly with Iran's Support... Houthi Rebels Emerge as Major Variable in the Middle East

[Anchor]

Yemen's Houthis are called a rebel group, but with Iran's backing, they have acquired formidable military power. They are rapidly expanding their influence in the Red Sea, a vital hub for international maritime transport.

Reporter Gwak Sang-eun explains why Saudi Arabia, the leader of the Middle East, is struggling against the Houthis.

[Reporter]

The Houthi rebel delegation in Yemen reportedly met secretly with U.S. government officials in Muscat, Oman, last weekend, conveying a stance that they would not attack U.S. ships in the Red Sea.

Following this secret meeting, Trump rejected Saudi Arabia's request to attack the Houthis.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President: The Houthis contacted us and said they do not want to fight us. They do not want me to attack them.]

By blocking Saudi Arabia's oil export routes and using diplomacy to fend off U.S. intervention, the Houthi rebels have gained even greater momentum.

[Death to America! Death to Israel!]

Starting as a small religious movement in the 1990s, the Houthis transformed into an anti-American armed organization following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

[Abdul-Malik al-Houthi / Houthi Leader: Missile and drone attacks targeting Zionism (Israel) will continue. Every possible target we can strike is a target.]

Amidst the civil war in 2014, they occupied the capital Sana'a, effectively defeating the Sunni Islamic regime and emerging as Yemen's quasi-government.

Although the Saudi-led Sunni coalition launched an offensive to defeat the Shia Houthis, they failed to subdue the battle-hardened Houthis.

Instead, with Iran's support, the Houthis significantly strengthened their military power, including missile capabilities and suicide drones, while increasing their troop numbers to 350,000.

In contrast, the anti-Houthi faction is divided between the government forces supported by Saudi Arabia and separatist forces supported by the United Arab Emirates.

Moreover, largely centered around mercenaries hired with money, they are helplessly overwhelmed by the disciplined elite forces of the Houthis.

[Samina Sultan / Senior Economist at the German Institute for Economic Research: Major disruptions are occurring in logistics and supply chains. Although the Houthi rebels may seem small in scale, they are exerting a massive impact on the global economy.]

While Saudi Arabia, holding its oil shipping routes hostage, and the United States, reluctant to escalate the conflict, hesitate, the Houthis are rapidly seizing control of Yemen and have now emerged as a major variable shaking the dynamics of the Middle East.

(Video by Lee Seung-yeol)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.