350,000 Fighters: How the Houthis Used Gaza to Consolidate Internal Power

Amid rising regional tensions, a new report by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reveals how Yemen’s Houthi militia exploited the Red Sea crisis and Israel’s war on Gaza to bolster their internal power and political leverage.

According to the report, the Houthis now command approximately 350,000 fighters, a result of aggressive recruitment campaigns launched under the banner of “supporting Palestine” since October 2023. However, the report asserts that this support was largely a tool for advancing sectarian and political objectives.

The group also intensified internal crackdowns by labeling dissenters as “collaborators with the enemy,” capitalizing on US and Israeli airstrikes targeting Houthi sites.

The report states that the Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea were not driven by ideological solidarity with Palestine but were instead used as leverage in negotiations. Between May and July 2024, the attacks peaked, including the sinking of a Greek cargo ship with advanced drones. However, all operations ceased after a Saudi-brokered financial agreement lifted restrictions on the group.

Despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza, no new attacks were recorded between September and December 2024, aside from a single incident in August attributed to a hardline Houthi faction opposing the ceasefire track.

The report concludes that the Houthis rely on symbolic, psychological strikes to conserve resources while maintaining pressure, using the Palestinian cause as a domestic power tool rather than a true ideological commitment.

"What is happening in Yemen? What caused the war? And who ignited it?

Yemen Bids Farewell to Poet of the Republic: Fuad Hammiri Dies at 47 in Istanbul

25 Houthi Vehicles Head to Marib… Signs of a New Escalation Surge