Where is Yemen and who are the Houthis, nicknamed the "puppies of Iran": explanation and map

On the night of January 12, the United States and Britain conducted a military operation against the Houthis in Yemen, launching airstrikes on military targets. Earlier, the group had been given an ultimatum to stop attacks on ships sailing through the Red Sea.

Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Hussein said the group would respond if the United States attacked it. "Any American attack will not go unanswered. The response will be bigger than twenty drones and missile launches," he said, referring to the group's shelling of a number of ships the day before.

Where is Yemen located?

Yemen (Republic of Yemen) is a state in Southwest Asia, located in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. According to the 2011 census, the population is over 25 million people, with a territory of 527,970 km². It ranks 49th in the world in terms of both population and land area.

The country's modern independence was proclaimed in 1990, but the entire history of the country dates back more than 3,000 years, so Yemen is one of the oldest countries in the world.

Who are the Yemeni Houthis?

The Houthis are a terrorist group supported by Iran. It controls most of Yemen. And after the new war in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis have been systematically attacking Israeli-affiliated ships in the Red Sea and launching rocket attacks on Israeli cities.

The paramilitary structure of the Zaidi Shiites (one of the Shiite branches), which has been operating in Yemen for about 30 years, is called the Houthis. The Ansar Allah group is considered to be the militant wing of the movement. Their goal is to restore the theocratic state that existed in Yemen until 1962. For this purpose, they use all possible methods, including terrorist ones.

The Houthis are considered "puppies of Iran" because Tehran's interest in Yemen is to control oil resources and the country's strategic position with regard to ships moving through the Suez Canal. This would increase their geopolitical influence.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, earlier the White House spokesman John Kirby said that the actions of the Houthis in the Red Sea are "illegal and escalating." The US will do everything possible to protect civilian shipping in the region.

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