Yemen: The World According to the Huthi Framing and Mobilization Strategies

By Salem Bahfi

Recent Huthi escalation in the Red Sea and active involvement in the Gaza conflict has led to renewed focus on Yemen (see Figure 1). Indeed, as this issue of Counterterrorism went to press, the United States had again made the Huthis a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group.1 Such a step is unlikely to receive more than passing notice from the Huthi themselves. To the contrary, their actions are concrete manifestations of their destabilizing tendencies and expansive ambitions beyond Yemen’s borders. While recent reporting has focused on Huthi actions, it is equally important to go inside the group to interrogate its beliefs and strategic designs. Indeed, what is unfolding is not surprising but rather rooted in the Huthis’ enduring ideology, which is characterized by anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism, and the glorification of jihad.

This ideology drives the group to confront perceived adversaries regionally and globally. Notably, the extensive Huthi external affiliations now on display, especially with Iran and like-minded actors, are more powerful in group motivations than ties to fellow Yemenis. As with Hezbollah, the issue becomes, indigenous revolutionary force or foreign proxy? This prioritization of external interests over domestic concerns fuels Huthi willingness to engage in aggressive actions that align with the goals and ideological agenda of foreign sponsors. Recent developments are but part of a broader strategy intertwined with the Huthis’...