Transcript [00:00] Why have the Houthis in Yemen not joined [00:03] the war? They're part of Iran's res uh [00:06] axis of resistance, right? Its proxy [00:08] network across the Middle East, the [00:10] Iraqi uh Shiite militias, the [00:13] Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the in in [00:18] Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, right? [00:20] They're part of it. Now, those other [00:22] proxies are fighting, right? [00:25] is shelling Israeli towns even though [00:27] it's causing uh Israel to launch a major [00:30] invasion into Lebanon and bomb the heck [00:32] out of them and and is really it could [00:35] spell the end of but they've joined the [00:37] war. The Iraqi militias have been [00:39] joining the war. Why haven't the Houthis [00:42] joined the war yet? And there's a lot of [00:43] speculation about this online. If you if [00:45] you just Google the question, why [00:47] haven't they joined the war? You'll see [00:48] a lot of conversation about it. But [00:50] before we get into that, and we'll get [00:52] into it very soon, I just want to remind [00:54] you all there is still a lot of shelling [00:56] going on. We're I mean it's it's [00:58] diminished day by day, but there are [01:00] still rockets flying at Israel. And that [01:03] means that there are still a lot of [01:05] people being affected by this Iran war, [01:07] but even after the rockets stopped [01:08] flying, there were people whose lives [01:10] were were uh were greatly affected. [01:12] Their homes were damaged, people got [01:14] injured, people got killed. And right [01:16] now, and this is part of the story that [01:18] we're talking about right here, is that [01:20] there is a major callup of reserves in [01:23] Israel because of an impending ground [01:25] invasion in the north in Lebanon against [01:28] what I just mentioned. And that means [01:30] that there's a lot of young uh young [01:32] families who where the husband, the dad [01:34] is away now on reserve duty. There are [01:37] many, many different needs, suffice it [01:39] to say, in Israel right now due to this [01:41] war. and Israel 365 has stepped up to [01:44] the plate and we're running a special [01:45] campaign, Israel under fire. So, if you [01:47] go to isra365 charity.com, click on that [01:50] red banner near the top of the page and [01:52] uh and drop a few nickels in the kitty [01:55] to help with what's going on. It's a way [01:57] that you can really participate in [01:59] helping out what's happening on the [02:00] ground here in Israel. And Israel 365 is [02:02] very well connected with all the [02:04] different charities and different and [02:06] making sure that that the funds go to [02:08] the right place. So, please go ahead and [02:11] uh and click that. I believe uh the link [02:13] should also be in the description of [02:15] this video. Uh so, here's a here's a [02:18] story from today. Uh Yemen's Houthis [02:21] signal readiness to join conflict along [02:23] Iran. Muhammad al-Biti, a senior member [02:26] of the political bureau of the Houthi [02:28] movement, Ansar Allah, that's the [02:30] Houthis, said the group's actions are [02:32] fully aligned with the efforts of the [02:33] so-called axis of resistance. In an [02:35] interview with Al-Mayadin, Al-Bukiti [02:37] said the decision in Yemen to side with [02:39] Iran has already been made. Okay. He [02:42] said the group is closely monitoring [02:43] developments and and quote keeping a [02:46] finger on the trigger. Referring to [02:48] earlier remarks by the movement's [02:49] leader, Abdul Malik Alhouthi. Abdul [02:51] Malik Alhuti, the leader of the Houthis, [02:53] a few days into the war said, "We're [02:56] keeping our finger on the trigger like [02:57] we're ready." But they still haven't [02:59] joined the war. According to Albui, [03:01] Yemen's direct participation in the [03:03] conflict is only a matter of time, [03:05] adding that full coordination exists on [03:07] the issue. Okay. But the speculation in [03:10] Israel is in this story here from Wet [03:14] and this is uh just from a couple days [03:16] ago. They fear what happened to why [03:19] Yemen's Houthis haven't joined the war [03:21] yet. So this is an article that that uh [03:24] speaks with a number of different [03:27] experts on the Houthis and gets their [03:30] speculation about why they haven't [03:32] joined the war. The prevailing view in [03:34] Israel tends to treat the Iranian-led [03:36] Shiite axis as a single block. What I [03:38] just described before, but the truth is [03:40] it's not. uh that despite the war being [03:42] waged by Israel and the United States [03:44] against Iran, the Houthis in Yemen have [03:46] limited themselves to muted statements [03:48] of support for their partners. For 13 [03:51] days, they've chosen not to join the [03:53] fighting by firing on Israel or Sunni [03:55] Gulf states, nor by attacking ships. And [03:58] right now, the Iranians are waging this [04:01] war in the Straits of Hormuz against the [04:03] United States, trying to make the war as [04:05] painful as possible by jacking up the [04:07] price of oil and and causing worldwide [04:11] economic disruption to incentivize Trump [04:14] to back off and end this thing as [04:16] quickly as possible because it'll hurt [04:18] him in the midterms and it'll it'll [04:20] cause all sorts of economic crisis. So [04:22] you'd think that the Houthis located [04:25] where they are and the Houthis are [04:26] located right here. Okay, this is where [04:28] the Houthis are and this is the Babel [04:30] Mandib Strait. We've talked about this [04:32] before. This is a major shipping lane [04:34] that the Houthis were were disrupting [04:37] since October 7th. Um and that caused [04:40] that caused all kinds of problems and [04:42] that's why the United States went after [04:44] them earlier in the Trump administration [04:46] where the United States started shelling [04:47] the Houthis to get them to stop shelling [04:50] the international shipping. So, you'd [04:51] think that with, you know, with [04:54] everything happening in the in the [04:56] Straits of Hormuz, which is right here, [04:58] where the Iranians are trying to close [05:00] the Straits of Hormuz and disrupt [05:01] shipping. Uh, you'd think that the [05:03] Houthis would join the fund and disrupt [05:05] shipping over here. It would be a great [05:07] way for them to join the war. And why [05:08] haven't they done it yet? So, there's [05:10] all this speculation that they don't [05:11] want to get hit like like did. But, I [05:14] mean, why did join the war? [05:17] Um, so this has to do with the different [05:20] relationships betweenah and the Houthis [05:23] and Iran. Okay, so let's take a look at [05:25] what some of these experts have to say. [05:28] Okay, [05:31] turn this off. [05:33] Um, [05:35] so it's well known that the Houthis are [05:37] linked to Tehran through the Axis joint [05:39] operations room. Their participation [05:41] there continues. The war in Iran may [05:43] reach a point where they will have to [05:44] enter the conflict, but they're trying [05:46] to assess where a future confrontation [05:48] with Israel could lead. It could be [05:51] decisive and lead to their destruction [05:55] and expulsion from Sana. War with Israel [05:58] is their project, but they're also [05:59] trying to preserve the position in [06:01] Yemen. Okay. So, basically, they don't [06:03] want to get slammed the way the waybah [06:06] is getting slammed. Okay, great. [06:09] But and that's coming from an expert in [06:12] in Yemen. Okay. [06:15] Look what he also says here. Like the [06:18] calm before a storm, the pictures of Ali [06:20] Kami that were hung after his [06:22] assassination have already been replaced [06:25] with image with images of Abdul Malik [06:28] al- Houthi. [06:30] Houthi fighters are moving around [06:31] without uniforms in civilian cars [06:34] blending into the population. You can't [06:36] know where they are. It seems they're [06:38] they're preparing for any trouble, an [06:40] external strike or an internal uprising. [06:42] The leadership cannot be seen at all. [06:44] You see, the Houthis remember that not [06:46] so long ago, the Israelis [06:49] went in and did air strikes and drone [06:52] strikes to take out their leadership. So [06:54] now you have Houthi leaders who are [06:56] taking off their uniforms and trying to [06:58] blend in. And the Houthi fighters are [07:01] trying to blend in because they don't [07:02] want to get hit by the Israelis. [07:05] Now, there's also concern about Somali [07:08] land. Somali land is located right here. [07:12] Okay, so it's right opposite Yemen. The [07:15] Israelis of course famously recognize [07:17] Somali land. And now the Israelis are [07:19] planning to build bases there. Take a [07:22] look. Is Israel Somaland ties could lead [07:24] to Red Sea Israeli base intel gathering [07:27] on Houthis report says. Okay. So in um [07:35] Somaland's minister of the presidency [07:37] said that the that the Israelis [07:40] basically are going to be setting up an [07:42] Israeli military base down there on the [07:45] Red Sea right by the Baba Mandev [07:47] Straits. Now this of course doesn't mean [07:48] that they have troops there. Now [07:51] bottom line is the Israelis are [07:54] expanding their security presence down [07:55] there and that's also something that the [07:57] Ghutis are probably taking into account. [07:59] How much do they want to antagonize [08:01] Israel right now? How much do they want [08:03] to antagonize Saudi Arabia by joining [08:05] the war on Iran's behalf? So these are [08:08] all calculations that they have. But [08:11] this all brings us back to the question, [08:13] how independent are the Houthis? Don't [08:15] they have to join the war if Iran says [08:18] so? So that question is dealt with here. [08:20] So this is from Simma Shine, a former [08:22] Mossad official who's now a researcher [08:24] at the think tank, the Institute for [08:26] National Security Studies. quote, "They [08:28] have proven in the past that they are [08:30] relatively independent. I also think [08:32] they understand that Iran after the war [08:34] will not be the same as Iran in terms of [08:36] capabilities. Their ultimate goal is to [08:39] control Yemen, or at least to be a [08:41] central part of its leadership. In [08:43] addition, they've already been hit by [08:44] the Israeli military during the Swords [08:46] of Iron War. That's the war we've been [08:47] fighting since October 7th. And they [08:49] understand Israel has improved its [08:51] capabilities since then. together with [08:53] the United States, there's significant [08:55] military power in the region that could [08:57] seriously harm them. In my view, that's [09:00] a central consideration. Now, as I was [09:03] as I was poking around about this issue, [09:06] I noticed an interesting line in a story [09:09] in the Arab media because here I was [09:10] reading Israeli media about why the [09:12] Houthis aren't joining joining the war. [09:13] I decided to read some Arab media. [09:15] Despite solidarity with Iran, Houthi's [09:17] reluctant so far to enter the fray. [09:20] Unlike Lebanon's and Iraqi armed groups, [09:23] the Houthis have not made any formal [09:25] announcement of joining the war. This is [09:26] a news item from today. Okay, so look [09:29] what it says here. Iran's Shia allies in [09:31] Lebanon and Iraq have joined the war in [09:33] the region unleashed by the US and [09:35] Israeli strikes on Thran. But Yemen's [09:37] Houthi rebels, heavily armed and capable [09:40] of striking Gulf neighbors and causing [09:42] major disruption to maritime navigation [09:44] around the Arabian Peninsula, have [09:46] chosen so far not to enter the frey. On [09:49] March 5th, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al- [09:51] Houthi said the group was ready to [09:53] strike at any moment regarding military [09:55] escalation and action. Our fingers are [09:57] on the trigger at any moment. That's I [09:59] mentioned that uh earlier in the video [10:01] should developments warrant it. But [10:03] unlike Lebanon's and Iraqi armed groups, [10:05] they have not made any formal [10:07] announcement of joining the war. And [10:09] look what it says next. Houthi religious [10:12] doctrine [10:14] does not adhere to Iran's supreme leader [10:18] in the same waybellah and Iraqi groups [10:21] do. Now let me drill down on that [10:23] because I think it's critical to [10:25] understanding the Houthi's current [10:27] behavior. Okay. So let me talk about [10:30] this uh a little bit right now. when [10:32] people So when we talk about Iran's axis [10:36] of resistance, that's the the whole [10:38] proxy network again, people usually [10:40] think of it as, oh, well, they're all [10:42] Shiite proxies of Iran, and they all [10:44] kind of work for the Iranians, right? [10:47] Lebanon, Shiite militias in Iraq, Hamas [10:49] and Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen. But [10:52] there's a very important difference in [10:54] that alliance that most reporting never [10:58] explains, and even this oneliner here [11:00] doesn't really explain it. [11:02] So again, it says there that the [11:05] Houthi's religious doctrine does not [11:07] adhere to Iran's supreme leader in the [11:10] same way that Iraqi militias do. And [11:14] that's what I want to explain now for [11:15] the next few minutes. [11:17] So you have to understand a concept at [11:20] the heart of the Iranian regime [11:22] religious ideology and it's called [11:25] wlayat alaki [11:28] or the rule of the Islamic jurist. The [11:32] rule of the Islamic jurist wat alaki [11:34] that's the core doctrine of the Islamic [11:37] Republic of Iran. So according to this [11:39] doctrine, political authority in an [11:42] Islamic state [11:44] has must be held by a senior Shiite [11:47] cleric and that's what Iran calls the [11:49] supreme leader. But the reason for this [11:52] doctrine comes from a deeper theological [11:54] belief within their branch of Shiite [11:57] Islam which is called 12 Shiite Islam. [12:00] Okay, that's the Shiite Islam of the [12:02] Iranian regime. 12 Rashiites believe [12:04] that there were 12 divinelyapp appointed [12:06] Imams descended from Muhammad. The 12th [12:10] Imam known as the Madi is believe is [12:13] according to this belief he disappeared [12:15] in the 9th century. And according to [12:18] this belief he he stayed alive but is [12:20] hidden. He's hidden away until the end [12:22] of days until the end times. And there [12:26] will come a day where he where he will [12:28] return to defeat evil and restore [12:31] justice to the world. [12:34] Okay. So if the rightful leader of the [12:36] Islamic community is hidden, who governs [12:39] the world in the meantime like from the [12:42] 9th century when he disappeared until [12:44] now, who's governing the world while [12:46] he's hidden? So after the Iranian [12:48] revolution, Ayatollah Kumeni, the the [12:50] the guy who led the the revolution, he [12:55] he had he he presented this doctrine [12:58] called Wlayat alaki, [13:00] which argued that until the Mahi [13:02] returns, [13:04] a senior Islamic jurist must govern [13:07] society on behalf of the Madi. And this [13:10] idea became the foundation of the whole [13:13] structure of the Iranian regime. [13:16] And movements that fully embrace Iran's [13:19] revolutionary ideology are expected to [13:21] recognize the authority of Iran's [13:24] supreme leader as the representative of [13:26] that system as the standin for the madi. [13:29] And that's exactly what in Lebanon does [13:33] created by the Iranian uh Islamic [13:36] revolutionary guard in the 80s. Its [13:38] leaders are total followers of 12 Shiite [13:42] Islam and the supreme leader of Iran. In [13:45] other words, is not just an ally of [13:47] Iran. It is, and I've said this before, [13:49] it's part of Iran. It's it's an arm of [13:51] Iran. And it's also ideologically and [13:53] religiously identical. So the same is [13:56] true for several Shiite militias in [13:58] Iraq, where groups like Katibbah that [14:01] I've mentioned, but the Houthis are [14:04] different. Okay? The Houthis do not come [14:06] from the same branch of Shiite Islam as [14:10] Iran. They're not 12vers. The Houthis [14:13] come from a much older and different [14:14] tradition called Zidi Shiite Islam or [14:18] Zidi Shiism you might want to call it. [14:21] Now that developed in Yemen over a [14:23] thousand years ago. Zidi Islam [14:27] um it it never accepted their theology [14:30] never accepted the doctrine of rule by a [14:34] cleric standing in for the Madi standing [14:37] in for the hidden imam. So that that [14:39] idea they never bought into. So the zidi [14:42] understanding of leadership is actually [14:44] almost the opposite because in zidi [14:46] thought there's no hidden imam waiting [14:48] to return. Instead the leadership comes [14:51] from a qualified descendant of the [14:54] prophet Muhammad who rises up and claims [14:57] authority. Right? But he actively fights [15:00] injustice. And if he doesn't rise up and [15:03] lead, he's not considered a legitimate [15:05] imam. So instead of waiting, say here's [15:08] the big difference. Instead of waiting [15:10] for a hidden savior to return at the end [15:12] of time, which is 12 Shiite Islam, Zidi [15:16] Islam, their tradition emphasizes that [15:19] the present leadership must rise up and [15:22] rebel against unjust rule, meaning rule [15:26] that's against Islam. [15:28] So that historical idea [15:32] now that I just shared with you explains [15:34] why the Houthis [15:36] present themselves the way they do. They [15:38] portray their movement as a righteous [15:40] uprising against the corrupt leaders and [15:43] foreign domination. So Zidi Islam [15:48] which [15:51] which is different than 12 Rashi Islam [15:53] doesn't again it doesn't believe that [15:56] the madi is hidden away and will come [15:58] back. Now they do believe in Amadi but [16:01] the concept is far less central and it's [16:04] not as apocalyptic as 12 Rashiism. Okay? [16:08] And and to understand this a little bit [16:10] more I highly highly recommend go to the [16:13] Israel 365 News YouTube channel and I [16:16] put up an interview that I did with Dr. [16:19] Morai Khedar this past Thursday. So go [16:23] back. It's it's one of the most recent [16:24] videos on the Israel 365 News channel. [16:27] Interview with Dr. [16:29] And we get into this stuff. We get into [16:31] the 12 Shiite Islam. What makes Shiite [16:33] Islam different from Sunni Islam and how [16:35] that can help us understand what's going [16:37] on in this war. You got to watch that. [16:40] So again, according to uh Zidi Shiite [16:44] Islam, there's no hidden imam currently [16:49] ruling behind the scenes. Okay? There's [16:53] no so there's no theological reason then [16:55] for the Houthis to recognize Iran's [16:58] supreme leader as the representative of [17:01] some hidden authority. Meaning the whole [17:03] the whole construct theologically of 12 [17:06] Rashi Islam in the Iranian regime and [17:08] what the supreme leader is means nothing [17:10] to the Houthis. [17:12] So the Houthis are actually much more of [17:14] a proxy [17:17] but not the wayah or the Iraqi militias [17:21] are right. They're actually just a [17:22] proxy, meaning they're an independent [17:24] organization. They get funding, they get [17:25] weapons, [17:27] but you know, they get missile, [17:29] technology, intelligence, whatever. But [17:31] the relationship is much more of a [17:32] strategic partnership than an [17:34] ideological [17:36] chain of command. They're not part of [17:37] the same cult, as it were, or sect [17:40] asbellah, [17:42] the Iranian regime, etc. So, the Houthis [17:45] cooperate with Iran because their [17:47] interests overlap, right? They both hate [17:51] the Saudis. They both uh you know and [17:53] and they have a lot of the same tactics [17:56] threatening strategic shipping routes, [17:58] right? But they're not the same. Okay. [18:01] The Houthis will still pursue their own [18:04] Yemen Yemenite agenda. They're not [18:06] simply taking religious orders from [18:08] Tehran, but isbah and Katibbah in Iraq. [18:13] They are actually taking religious [18:15] edicts. So if if Ali Kami is killed, if [18:18] the Iranian regime is under attack, they [18:19] just go forward. And also 12vers believe [18:23] in bringing the world to a point of [18:24] apocalyptic chaos to bring the Madi [18:27] back. That's not the way the Houthis [18:29] think, [18:31] right? So that so this distinction [18:33] between these different types of Islam [18:35] really help us understand things. So [18:37] when Iran coordinates its escalation [18:40] through its network of militias and also [18:43] by firing missiles in all different [18:44] directions and they're trying to [18:46] escalate things and bring about this [18:47] chaos, groups likeah and the Iraqi and [18:51] the Iraqi who are also like them are [18:54] very tightly connected to that. They're [18:56] part of that. But the Houthis will [19:00] behave more independently. [19:03] Okay? So sometimes they hold back even [19:05] though Iran might want them to escalate. [19:08] So when people talk about the Iranian [19:10] axis of resistance, this is the [19:12] punchline here. It's important to [19:13] understand that it's not a single [19:15] unified command structure. It's more [19:17] like a a coalition of groups and the [19:20] members don't have the same relationship [19:21] to Iran, right? [19:24] Is an arm of Iran and they're also [19:26] deeply ideological. [19:28] And then you have like the Houthis who [19:30] are partners and cooperate but don't [19:32] have the same religious tradition. And [19:34] that difference explains why the Houthis [19:37] can be powerful allies of Iran but [19:40] they're not religiously subordinate to [19:43] them. They don't actually do what Iran [19:46] tells them to do necessarily. Okay, I [19:47] hope this all made sense. This is very [19:49] important. So let's wrap this up. Let's [19:52] say what's the bottom line of all this. [19:54] The bottom line of all this is that the [19:55] Houthis have not joined the war. There's [19:57] all this speculation about why they [20:00] don't feel bound to join the war for the [20:02] religious reasons that I just shared [20:04] with you. They're not part of that same [20:05] structure, even though they are [20:07] technically Shiites. And it's beyond the [20:09] scope of this video to talk about what [20:11] that even means. It sounds like their [20:12] theologies are so different, but suffice [20:16] it to say their their primary objective [20:20] geopolitically is I mean they hate the [20:22] West, they hate Israel and all that, but [20:24] they also want to be ruling in Yemen and [20:28] they don't want to jeopardize that right [20:29] now. So even though they keep saying [20:31] their fingers on the trigger and that [20:32] they're going to they're going to jump [20:33] in when the time comes, they're really [20:35] caught in a tight spot because probably [20:38] the Iranians want them to start bombing [20:42] the ships in the Baband Strait to [20:44] disrupt shipping to help their general [20:47] strategy of causing all this economic [20:49] disruption and rise in prices which [20:52] could make this war more painful for [20:54] Trump. But they're not doing it because [20:57] they have other interests at stake here. [20:58] I hope this made some sense. Thanks for [21:00] watching and please continue to share [21:03] these videos and tell other people about [21:05] what we're doing on this channel. I uh [21:07] you know I I really believe I hope I [21:09] hope and pray that I'm accomplishing it. [21:10] I really believe that I'm providing a [21:12] service and helping you follow this war [21:14] with greater depth and greater accuracy [21:17] and really understanding what is going [21:19] on. So thanks for watching. God bless. [21:21] And again, please, you know, please [21:23] share these videos and tell everyone [21:25] about what we're doing on this
