With 350,000 fighters, the Houthis are extending control over the Red Sea and strengthening a military machine built around ballistic and anti-ship missiles, kamikaze drones and underground storage facilities. Iran’s support is decisive, while dual-use components arrive from China.
The Houthis they are no longer just the Yemeni militia that has consolidated its power in the west of the country for over a decade. With an estimated strength of around 350,000 fightersthe movement has transformed the territory under its control into a military platform from which to project its offensive capacity towards the Red Seaone of the most important commercial arteries on the planet. The latest advance took his men out of their traditional strongholds, allowing them to occupy islands and capture new coastal positions, including the strategic port city of Mokha.
Behind the speed of the offensive there was months of preparation. Already by mid-August thousands of men and significant quantities of armaments had been transferred to the areas around Mokha. A maneuver intended to put pressure on the supply routes of the opposing forces and prepare the ground for the attack. Added to this was a less visible but equally important advantage: control of part of Yemen’s telecommunications infrastructure. The Houthis they would use it to intercept enemy communications, gather intelligence, spread confusion and increase pressure on adversaries.
The asymmetric siege of strategic waters
At sea the situation is even more particular. The movement does not have a conventional navy, but over the years it has built an asymmetric offensive capability that allows it to threaten military and merchant ships without deploying large naval units. Along the coasts of Yemen are available anti-ship missiles ground-launched, explosive drones, mines, armed fast boats and unmanned surface craft. A set of relatively cheap systems that can force even more technologically advanced navies to mobilize significant resources to protect trade routes.
The heart of the military power of the Houthis however, their missile arsenal remains. The group has ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship systems and numerous families of drones. A substantial part of this technology derives directly or indirectly fromIran. Over time the Houthis they have developed local assembly and modification capabilities, but for the more sophisticated platforms technology, components and external assistance continue to be fundamental. According to the US Department of Defensenumerous weapons systems would be protected within underground facilities.
Tehran’s direction and the technological leap of carriers
The construction of this military machine has accelerated since 2015, when the Go Qudsthe department of Revolutionary Guards responsible for cross-border operations, began transferring components intended for the assembly of Iranian-designed missiles and drones. It wasn’t just parts and materials that arrived. Iranian specialists would also contribute to the training of the men responsible for building, modifying and using these systems. It was one of the decisive steps in the transformation of Houthis from a guerrilla formation to a force equipped with instruments capable of striking hundreds of kilometers away.
The results were seen in attacks against the country’s oil infrastructure.Saudi Arabiain operations against the navigation of Red Sea and in the ability to also put pressure on the American forces present in the region. A central role is entrusted to unmanned aircraft. The Houthis frequently employ i WaitIranian-derived kamikaze drones Shahed. These are accompanied by more advanced systems such as i Samadused against targets in Saudi Arabiain United Arab Emirates and in Israel.
From advanced radars to clandestine maritime trafficking
Even more significant is the anti-ship capability. The Houthis they became the first non-state actor to employ anti-ship ballistic missilesadapting these weapons to the operating conditions of the Red Sea. Among the best known systems is the Sayyadcapable of identifying and following naval units through radar detection systems. But another element has been added to the traditional Iranian supply chain: China. Chinese companies would have supplied products classified as dual-use goods, i.e. components that can be used both in civil industry and in the production of military equipment. According to reports from United Nations and analyzes conducted by weapons experts, some of these materials would be particularly important for the technology used in drones.
Furthermore, the smuggling network built over the years remains active. For about a decade the Revolutionary Guards they used small traditional boats, the dhows, to bring people fromIran light weapons, drone components and parts for missiles. Numerous shipments were intercepted by American forces and Yemeni factions opposed to the Houthiswithout however completely interrupting traffic.
The routes would not be limited to direct connection with theIran. According to the United NationsAlso Djiboution the other side of the Red Seawould have been used as a transit point for military material. The Houthis they would also develop a trade in small arms with al-Shabaabthe Somali jihadist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda.
The result is a network that crosses both banks of the Red Sea and fuels an arsenal in which Iranian technology, local production capabilities, foreign commercial components and clandestine trafficking coexist. A combination that allowed the Houthis to move from Yemeni guerrilla warfare to a force capable of influencing the security of one of the main global maritime routes.
