The latest in Yemen
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What recent territorial gains have the Houthis made along Yemen’s Red Sea coast?
The Pat Kenny Show on News Talk. The Iran aligned Houthis have made major gains along Yemen's Red Sea coast, including the strategically important port of El Mocha, while fighting is intensifying around Taiz and the government's key stronghold of Marib. Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes and is now, of course, coming under responsive attack itself. And while the Houthis advance brings them closer to the Bab al Mandeb Strait, it's one of the world's most important shipping routes and it has had an impact on the price of oil. So what has changed in Yemen and could this latest offensive have consequences far beyond that country itself? Adam Parsons is the Middle East correspondent for Sky News and he joins us now from Jerusalem.
Adam, good morning and welcome.
Thank you very much indeed. Yeah, good morning. And you're right. It is a turbulent time in Yemen.
Now talk to me about uh the Houthis themselves. I mean, who are they? It it seems from my reading that uh they're really uh a family which has recruited around them uh many uh people who are fellow Shias.
Yeah, so they are originally a a a Shia group. Um, and uh to trace their sort of huge growth, you've got to go back to the Arab Spring, the fall of uh a a man who had really sort of been an absolute ruler of of Yemen. Uh and in the void that followed, the Houthis then exerted huge control, they took control of the of the capital, uh Sana'a. Uh and they still control a great deal of that country, uh and they are in opposition to what much of the world sees as the legitimate Yemeni government.
How did the Houthis’ advance bring them closer to the strategic Bab al‑Mandeb Strait?
Now, you are absolutely right that they are backed by Iran, they are Shias. Quite similar, I'd say, to Hezbollah in Lebanon, is that they're not simply a militia, they're not simply a political organization, they are or not. simply a religious organisation either. They're a blend of everything. Um and so they they control territory and they fight uh as well.
Now d talk to me about what prospects they have in in terms of what they want to achieve militarily, because uh looking at the population breakdown of Yemen, there's forty three million people there, but sixty five percent are Sunnis and thirty five percent or thereabouts are Shia, so the weight of the population would appear to be against them.
Yeah, exactly, which is again similar to uh to Hezbollah in in Lebanon. Uh You have this, they are effectively an insurgency for a great deal of the world. We still refer to them as as Houtis rebels. And yet amongst the and as you said, you're talking about a country with a big population. I think people don't realise just how large uh Yemen is, and indeed uh how divided. But the Houthis, again, like Hezbollah, have this benefit from Iran that they are they have been historically. Historically well supported, uh, with armaments, uh, with uh with all sorts of other things in order to create a sort of civil infrastructure. I'd say they're not quite as as aligned with Iran uh as as Hezbollah. I mean, the Houthis have have their own their own minds uh and they have fought for many, many years.
That's the other thing. They are battle-hardened. We know how to fight asymmetric war against Saudi Arabia, which clearly has so much more money and so much more resource.
Who are the Houthis and what is their historical background in Yemen?
So what are their military objectives? I mean, uh are they capable of taking over Yemen entirely and running that country? Uh and what precisely is their beef with uh Saudi Arabia or is that again about Shia versus Sunni?
Well, to an extent it is that. Uh it certainly is that. What they want is uh, I mean, clearly they would like control of the whole country, but I think what they would like is to have a a Hootie heartland uh uh effectively. Now, the Saudis have fought a very, very long war against them, uh in support of the Yemeni government. You you also had for For a long time, the UAE supporting a third force in that, but the UAE have really backed out uh now, and those forces have. Have rather uneasily blended in with the the Yemeni government. Um, so what the Houthis have have done is this asymmetric warfare of firing drones.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What recent territorial gains have the Houthis made along Yemen’s Red Sea coast?
0:01–1:39
2
How did the Houthis’ advance bring them closer to the strategic Bab al‑Mandeb Strait?
1:39–3:27
3
Who are the Houthis and what is their historical background in Yemen?
3:27–5:18
4
What are the Houthis’ military objectives and how do they view Saudi Arabia?
5:18–7:07
5
How are the Houthis using drones and missile attacks to disrupt global oil shipping?
7:07–8:59
6
What impact could the Red Sea disruption have on global oil prices and supply chains?
8:59–10:51
7
Why might advanced Saudi airpower, like F‑35s, be ineffective against Houthi tactics?
10:51–12:44
8
How are sectarian tensions and civilian displacement shaping the humanitarian crisis in Yemen?
12:44–14:17