Houthis have endured over 25,000 strikes by Saudis

The Houthis’ popularity inside Yemen and among Arabs is growing because they defend Palestine when nobody else does

In an interview with DW News, Elisabeth Kendall, a Middle East expert from Cambridge University’s GTON College, expresses her fear that the recent strikes may trigger a regional conflict. She believes that the Houthis, who have been engaged in civil war for nine years and have endured over 25,000 air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition without being deterred, are unlikely to be held back by targeted strikes from the US and its allies. While unleashing all of America’s military might on them would defeat them easily, it would also lead to an all-out regional war which would not be popular in the Arab world due to their framing themselves as defenders of Palestine.

The Houthis’ popularity inside Yemen and among Arabs is growing because they defend Palestine when nobody else does. They are similar to Hezbollah in Lebanon and backed by Iran through its axis of resistance. If things spiral into all-out conflict between these groups and Israel is encircled entirely by them with Hamas defending Gaza in the west, it could look quite bad for Israel.

Yemen has already suffered through years of civil war-ravaged areas controlled by the Houthis, with over 25k airstrikes launched against them so far. However, recently announced agreements between warring factions provide hope for peace if Western air strikes don’t interfere with this process or outlaw Houthi involvement altogether, jeopardizing everything achieved thus far.

Kendall warns against underestimating Houthis, as they operate differently than us with highly confident God-given beliefs leading them down dangerous paths tolerant of high casualties. We wouldn’t accept ourselves, making this moment particularly perilous.