How did the Houthis approach the Bab el-Mandeb and target navigation with the help of the Muslim Brotherhood?
Yemeni sources have revealed the assistance provided by elements of the Reform Party, the “arm of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood organization in Yemen,” to the Houthi terrorist militias, “Iranian agents,” to reach the vicinity of the strategic waterway “Bab el-Mandeb” and target navigation.
The sources told the Yemeni website “Al-Muntaser” that the suspicious movements of the Houthi militias in areas near Bab el-Mandeb recently come with the support of elements of the Reform Party in Taiz, as part of the service rendered by the two groups associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
They pointed out that the elements of the Reform Party helped Houthi elements to undertake unprecedented movements in areas such as Sha’maytin, Al-Mawasit, Al-Ma’afir, and Jabal Habshi, which have remained fortified for years as the scene of the 35th Armored Brigade, which assassinated its commander, Colonel Adnan al-Hamadi, in late 2019.
They explained that the assassination of Colonel al-Hamadi by the Muslim Brotherhood provided a great service to the Houthis to undertake significant movements towards Bab el-Mandeb, the main objective of the Iranian plan in the region, by helping the Houthis infiltrate the rocky areas of Taiz with their strategic heights directly overlooking the vital maritime passage for navigation and international trade.
The sources confirmed that the Houthi militias, which have been attacking international navigation since November 2023, in the service of Iran, began to work and expand in the southwest of the country when the Muslim Brotherhood organization withdrew from the region in what was then considered negligence and “betrayal” of the forces opposed to the Houthi coup.
The sources emphasized that the so-called security and intelligence apparatus of the militias sought to attract many individuals to the rebel areas in eastern Taiz, Sana’a, Saada, and provide them with money and weapons, then return them to Al-Hudaydah to carry out several missions and roles, the most dangerous of which was paving the way to overthrow these strategic areas.
Al-Hudaydah is located along the southern and southeastern countryside of Taiz province, and its heights overlook the port of Mocha and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. It is described as the “fortress of leftist parties,” and its inhabitants are educated and heavily engaged in politics and economics. They were at the forefront of the armed uprising against the Houthis in 2015.
The region has great symbolic importance as the stronghold of the President of the Presidential Council, Rashad al-Alimi, making it a prime target for the Houthis, especially in the absence of a clear vision to fortify these strategic and sensitive regions, according to observers.
The Houthi plan to overthrow Al-Hudaydah is based on tacit complicity between the pro-Iranian militias and the Muslim Brotherhood, with the organization neutralizing the country’s main vital centers and eliminating centers of social and political resistance while displacing military and security officers. This makes these regions vulnerable to endless Houthi ambitions, according to observers.
Recently, joint security efforts have been highlighted in Al-Hudaydah, culminating in the arrest of several Houthi cells in Jabal Habshi, Sha’maytin, and Al-Mawasit, drawing attention to a large-scale plan implemented by the Houthis to infiltrate towards Bab el-Mandeb.
