Houthi victory ‘not surprising’ due to weakness of backing forces

The Houthis’ rapid takeover of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast down to Perim Island in the middle of Bab al-Mandeb was not surprising, according to Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at the Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House. He highlighted poor coordination and weak armament among government forces, despite a year-long Saudi-backed effort to consolidate them into an effective fighting force. He added that the Houthis had “built up their military power very well” over the past five years, a shift he said was “obscured due to the truce”.