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Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US truce fails to curb Huthi ambitions: analysts
Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels have emerged bruised but defiant from a blistering US bombing campaign, cementing their role as one of the Middle East's most powerful non-state actors after a truce with Washington. US President Donald Trump said the rebels had "capitulated" after the intense, seven-week campaign that came in response to Huthi threats to renew attacks on Red Sea shipping over Israel's blockade on Gaza. Rebel leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi slammed Trump's remarks on Thursday, calling on supporters to celebrate "America's great failure" during Friday demonstrations and labelling their campaign on the key shipping route a "total success". The rebels are the biggest winners of this truce, analysts told AFP, with an official confirming they will keep targeting Israeli ships in the key maritime waterway. The Huthis, who control swathes of Yemen, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, saying they act in solidarity with Palestinians. They paused their attacks during a recent two-month Gaza ceasefire, but in March threatened to resume targeting international shipping over Israel's aid blockade on Gaza. The move triggered a response from the US army, which hammered the rebels with near-daily air strikes starting March 15 to keep them from threatening shipping in the key waterways. "It is at best a very unstable agreement. The Huthis' ambitions in the Red Sea against Israel and in the region in general will not wind down," said Thomas Juneau, a Middle East specialist at the University of Ottawa. "This allows President Trump to claim victory, but ultimately, it is a very limited" win, he said. - 'Doubly resistant' - The Yemeni rebels have framed the ceasefire as a victory, regularly announcing throughout the escalation that they shot down MQ-9 drones and at least three F-18 aircrafts. These losses highlight "billions spent by the US," said Mohammed Albasha, of the US-based Basha Report Risk Advisory, noting that "none of their senior commanders were harmed". The recent agreement failed to curb the Huthis' ambitions. "On the ground, anti‑Huthi forces lacked the capacity to conduct ground operations without Emirati and Saudi backing," Albasha said. "Both Gulf states publicly opposed a ground offensive given their ongoing understandings with the Huthis," he added. The group operating out of hard-to-access mountain strongholds has withstood a decade of war against a well-armed, Saudi-led coalition. "The nature of Huthi rule and how they operate makes them doubly resistant to air strikes," said Michael Shurkin of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank. "The Huthis as an organisation are dispersed and rely on tribal networks. They are classic guerrilla fighters and proficient at asymmetrical warfare," he added. - Iran links - The Huthis have become Iran's strongest ally after the Palestinian Hamas group and Lebanon's Hezbollah were decimated in wars with Israel. "Their importance has increased," said Juneau, adding that they had become "more indispensable in Iran's eyes". Clara Broekaert, a researcher at the Soufan Center, said "the current pause presents a strategic opportunity for the Huthis to rearm and reposition". But the rebels have retained a certain autonomy from their Iranian backer. A senior member of the Revolutionary Guards is part of one of the Huthis' essential decision-making bodies, according to Juneau. Tehran provides them with "missile and drone technologies, military and intelligence support" but the rebels are "not puppets acting at Iran's whim", he said. "Dependency works both ways" between Iran and the rebels, he said, adding that "this gives the Huthis significant bargaining power". Camille Lons, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the group allows Tehran to "maintain pressure points, retain regional assets and networks in Yemen". - Weapons - Relatively unknown a decade ago, the Huthis have remained largely under the radar of Western intelligence services. Their attacks, often with home-assembled drones and missiles, are simple but effective, dramatically reducing Red Sea shipping volumes as cargo companies have avoided the route. It is difficult to asses the extent of their arsenal or how badly the latest US campaign has affected their military capacities. "The assumption is that the knowhow for the sophisticated weapons come from Iran," said Jeremy Binnie of British private intelligence firm Janes. "Some local manufacturing is taking place to reduce the burden on the smuggling networks, although the extent that is happening isn't particularly clear," he said. The Conflict Armament Research (CAR) group said the group was "attempting to use hydrogen fuel cells to power their" drones. If the experiment is succesful, they would be the first non-state actor to do so. "This is no longer a small group manufacturing underdeveloped weapons," Lons said, underlining the increased "complexity of what the Huthis are capable of producing by themselves". dla/aya/jsa
France 24
08-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
US truce fails to curb Huthi ambitions: analysts
US President Donald Trump said the rebels had "capitulated" after the intense, seven-week campaign that came in response to Huthi threats to renew attacks on Red Sea shipping over Israel's blockade on Gaza. Rebel leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi slammed Trump's remarks on Thursday, calling on supporters to celebrate "America's great failure" during Friday demonstrations and labelling their campaign on the key shipping route a "total success". The rebels are the biggest winners of this truce, analysts told AFP, with an official confirming they will keep targeting Israeli ships in the key maritime waterway. The Huthis, who control swathes of Yemen, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, saying they act in solidarity with Palestinians. They paused their attacks during a recent two-month Gaza ceasefire, but in March threatened to resume targeting international shipping over Israel's aid blockade on Gaza. The move triggered a response from the US army, which hammered the rebels with near-daily air strikes starting March 15 to keep them from threatening shipping in the key waterways. "It is at best a very unstable agreement. The Huthis' ambitions in the Red Sea against Israel and in the region in general will not wind down," said Thomas Juneau, a Middle East specialist at the University of Ottawa. "This allows President Trump to claim victory, but ultimately, it is a very limited" win, he said. 'Doubly resistant' The Yemeni rebels have framed the ceasefire as a victory, regularly announcing throughout the escalation that they shot down MQ-9 drones and at least three F-18 aircrafts. These losses highlight "billions spent by the US," said Mohammed Albasha, of the US-based Basha Report Risk Advisory, noting that "none of their senior commanders were harmed". The recent agreement failed to curb the Huthis' ambitions. "On the ground, anti‑Huthi forces lacked the capacity to conduct ground operations without Emirati and Saudi backing," Albasha said. "Both Gulf states publicly opposed a ground offensive given their ongoing understandings with the Huthis," he added. The group operating out of hard-to-access mountain strongholds has withstood a decade of war against a well-armed, Saudi-led coalition. "The nature of Huthi rule and how they operate makes them doubly resistant to air strikes," said Michael Shurkin of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank. "The Huthis as an organisation are dispersed and rely on tribal networks. They are classic guerrilla fighters and proficient at asymmetrical warfare," he added. Iran links The Huthis have become Iran's strongest ally after the Palestinian Hamas group and Lebanon's Hezbollah were decimated in wars with Israel. "Their importance has increased," said Juneau, adding that they had become "more indispensable in Iran's eyes". Clara Broekaert, a researcher at the Soufan Center, said "the current pause presents a strategic opportunity for the Huthis to rearm and reposition". But the rebels have retained a certain autonomy from their Iranian backer. A senior member of the Revolutionary Guards is part of one of the Huthis' essential decision-making bodies, according to Juneau. Tehran provides them with "missile and drone technologies, military and intelligence support" but the rebels are "not puppets acting at Iran's whim", he said. "Dependency works both ways" between Iran and the rebels, he said, adding that "this gives the Huthis significant bargaining power". Camille Lons, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the group allows Tehran to "maintain pressure points, retain regional assets and networks in Yemen". Weapons Relatively unknown a decade ago, the Huthis have remained largely under the radar of Western intelligence services. Their attacks, often with home-assembled drones and missiles, are simple but effective, dramatically reducing Red Sea shipping volumes as cargo companies have avoided the route. It is difficult to asses the extent of their arsenal or how badly the latest US campaign has affected their military capacities. "The assumption is that the knowhow for the sophisticated weapons come from Iran," said Jeremy Binnie of British private intelligence firm Janes. "Some local manufacturing is taking place to reduce the burden on the smuggling networks, although the extent that is happening isn't particularly clear," he said. The Conflict Armament Research (CAR) group said the group was "attempting to use hydrogen fuel cells to power their" drones. If the experiment is succesful, they would be the first non-state actor to do so. "This is no longer a small group manufacturing underdeveloped weapons," Lons said, underlining the increased "complexity of what the Huthis are capable of producing by themselves".
Al Arabiya
04-05-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Yemen government names finance minister as new PM
Yemen's internationally recognised government named finance minister Salem bin Buraik as its new prime minister on Saturday, after his predecessor quit saying he was unable to fully exercise his powers. Alimi named Bin Buraik prime minister in a decision published by the official Saba news agency. No other ministerial changes were announced. Analyst Mohammed Albasha, of the US-based Basha Report Risk Advisory, posted on X that Bin Buraik is seen as non-confrontational -- 'a sharp contrast to his predecessor, with whom much of the cabinet, and even the president, had fallen out'. After Iran-backed Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, Yemen's government withdrew to Aden in the south. The group went on to control most population centres in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country. Bin Mubarak earlier posted on X that he had handed Alimi his letter of resignation. In it he said: 'I could not exercise my constitutional powers and take the necessary decisions to reform government institutions or implement rightful governmental changes.' The changes come as the Houthis who control much of Yemen wage fire missiles at Israel and target shipping in key waterways in what they say is a show of solidarity with Palestinians over the war in Gaza. In his resignation letter, Bin Mubarak said that despite the obstacles he had achieved 'many successes', citing fiscal and administrative reforms and an anti-corruption drive. 'Personal ambition' However, Albasha told AFP Bin Mubarak had been 'in constant friction with the Presidential Leadership Council'. 'Bin Mubarak wanted to be more than Prime Minister -- he wanted the powers of the presidency. That aspiration isolated him politically,' Albasha said. The three Yemeni official sources, who spoke to AFP requested anonymity in order to speak freely, said Bin Mubarak had suspended the budgets of several ministries including defence, citing corruption, further fuelling tensions. 'His drive for greater power -- viewed by many as fuelled by personal ambition -- led to repeated confrontations with key ministers and most Council members,' Albasha said. Yemen's former ambassador to the United States and envoy to the UN, Bin Mubarak is a staunch adversary of the Houthis, who abducted him in 2015 and held him for several days. He became foreign minister in 2018 and prime minister in February last year. His departure should 'ease internal tensions and reduce the deep divisions that have plagued Yemen's internationally recognised government -- a necessary and positive step toward restoring cohesion', Albasha said. The conflict in Yemen has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, although the fighting decreased significantly after a UN-negotiated six-month truce in 2022. Since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023 after Hamas attacked Israel, the Houthis have repeatedly targeted Israel and ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden that they say are linked to it. They paused their attacks during a two-month Gaza ceasefire, but in March a threat to resume attacks over Israel's Gaza aid blockade triggered a renewed and sustained US air campaign targeting areas in Yemen they control.
