...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the
Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is
God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews...
militias from the city of Hodeidah and its ports as a main condition before starting the peace negotiations.
This comes following a meeting between the UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, and Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur where Griffiths said that a deal was struck with the Houthis who reportedly agreed to allow Hodeidah to be placed under UN surveillance.
Yemen’s foreign minister Khaled al-Yamani said in a statement that the government’s main demand from the start was the complete withdrawal of the militias, and the entrance of government forces to guarantee the security of the area and reopen ports to receive humanitarian aid
.Yamani stressed that managing the ports and ensuring security cannot happen if they are isolated from the city.
"Security and stability cannot be achieved in the west coast, and the protection of international navigation without the withdrawal of all Houthi militias from the city, including the ports of al-Salif and Raas Issa," Yamani said.
Yamani blamed the Houthis for using civilians as human shields in Hodeidah, and increasing their attacks on government buildings. He added that in their fight against the militias, the government and the Arab coalition making large efforts to avoid injuring civilians or damaging the city’s infrastructure.
Yemeni parliamentary blocs stressed the need to continue the battle to liberate Hodeidah, which they said "suffered the scourge of domination of Houthi terrorist militias who loot ports, as well as humanitarian and relief products."
Parliamentary blocs also called on all Hodeidah residents to cooperate with the Yemeni army to force out the Houthis, and not allow