Summer Ahmed, the Yemeni Southern Transition Council’s (STC) Foreign Affairs Representative to the United States, spoke to an October 6 Middle East Forum Podcast (video). The following summarizes her comments:
The Houthis, located in the highlands of North Yemen, began as an anti-government revivalist movement in the 1990s.
The formerly independent state of South Yemen unified with North Yemen in 1990, but that unity collapsed into civil war in 1994. The Houthis, located in the highlands of North Yemen, began as an anti-government revivalist movement in the 1990s. They achieved considerable support among the Zaydi population in the small geographical area in North Yemen from which they hail. The Zaydi are a branch of Shia Islam who follow the teachings of Zaid Ibn Ali. The South Yemeni population has been demanding independence, and in 2007, the Southern Hirak Movement emerged to launch a “peaceful movement to demand rights and freedom for the people of South Yemen.”
During the civil war in 2014-2015, former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, with his Houthi allies, marched on Aden, seizing control of Sanaa, “the eternal capital of South Yemen.” The capital was liberated by an Arab Coalition supported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, whose intervention widened the civil war. Although all the Southern Governorates were liberated from the Houthis in 2017, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has been a presence since 1994. Currently, South Yemen is fighting a two-front war against the Houthis and AQAP, with the former supporting the latter. The Houthis have since expanded their support to al-Shabaab in Somalia, a Sunni Islamist militant and terrorist group that is allied with al-Qaeda.
The Houthi threat is not confined to South Yemen. Regional partners have joined the STC to thwart Houthi attacks against international shipping, which have devastated Yemen’s economy and adversely affected “regional and international commercial shipping” in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In the past, the Houthis launched missile and drone attacks against the UAE and Saudi Arabia with the support of Iran. The Islamic regime provides “financial support, weapons support, [and] oil commodity support,” which have enhanced the Houthis’ capabilities. During Israel’s recent war against Hamas in Gaza, Houthi missile and drone attacks targeted Israel. The Islamist group is currently threatening regional security by claiming they can now reach Greece.
The ground forces are willing to fight if they have the support “to just show that there is real desire to defeat the Houthis.”
The Biden administration removed the Houthis’ designation as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) and focused only on humanitarian issues. In contrast, President Trump has been more responsive to calls by the Yemeni government to designate the Houthis as an FTO, which he did in January 2021 during his first term and in January 2025 in his current term. The more recent designation has led to sanctions that will help curb Houthi financing and expansion.
The Houthis were ousted from South Yemen because “there was a potent force in South Yemen that was willing to fight and push the Houthis out with air support provided from the Arab Coalition at the time.” Ground forces, such as the Southern Giants Brigades, have a proven track record defeating the Houthis. To date, “Israeli air attacks have been the most effective against the Houthis.”
Continuing air support from the Arab Coalition — the UAE and Saudi Arabia—and partnering Yemen’s ground forces with the U.S., the U.K. “and the rest of the international community,” can defeat the Houthis. The ground forces are willing to fight if they have the support “to just show that there is real desire to defeat the Houthis.”
