Fatima Alasrar Profile picture
Researcher & Author on #Yemen, #Iran. Non-Resident Scholar @MiddleEastInst | #Chess obsessed. Words in @ForeignPolicy @WPReview @SAISHopkins @Kennedy_School

May 29, 2019, 20 tweets

1. #Houthis of #Yemen raised funds for #Hezbollah during the month of #Ramadan

It's not the first time. Yet many found the news surprising.

#Houthis' ties to #Hezbollah & #Iran are undeniable. This thread will clarify some misconceptions about this clandestine alliance.

2. First, let's begin with Houthi's recent fundraiser in #Yemen to support #Hezbollah.

Source for this? #Houthis OFFICIAL news agency.

The fundraiser started this month of Ramadan & is ongoing. Millions of Yemeni Riyals were collected for Hezbollah & Houthis' war in Yemen;

3.#Houthis used their Radio station to mobilize this multi-phase initiative to support the war. They managed to raise over 120 000 in one month. But they deemed the Hezbollah fundraiser "the most important stage of the fundraiser & a token of gratitude for #Hezbollah's help"

4. Here is a glimpse to why supporting #Hezbollah is important according to #Houthis' radio manager:

"The allocation of the 3rd phase to support the Islamic Resistance in #Lebanon is a surprise & a painful blow to the #Zionist entity & the enemies of the Arab & Islamic nations"

5. According to the #Houthi TV radio manager, the campaign is from #Faithful_Yemenis to #Lebanese_Resistance.

The Houthi Radio manager also said that they hope to prove to Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah's that his bet on #Yemenis is well placed.

6. So how much did #Houthis raise for war & Hezbollah?
According to them, YR 200 million for the last two years
Then YR 30 million first 10 days of Ramadan
They are collecting greater amounts for the other phases this Ramadan incl. for Hezbollah. Spending at their own discretion.

7. All this information is available online on official Houthi website and is being broadcasted in Radio stations. #Houthis are not even trying to hide it. Yet pro-Hezbollah folks are coming out of the woodwork to deny it.

Fact: Houthis are proud of supporting #Hezbolla.

8. Who else are #Houthis proud of supporting? Bashar al-Assad of #Syria.
Former Houthi president sent a cable to al-Assad on #Syria's Independence day expressing solidarity. He also praised him for not being a #US puppet.

#Assad #Hezbollah #Houthis #Iran.....birds of a feather!

9. #Houthis are aligned, inspired, and backed by #Hezbollah and #Iran. The branding shows how unified & in-sync they are. Compare the emblems of Houthis who call themselves #Ansarallah (partisans of God) & #Hezbollah.

Houthis emblem is on a White background, Hezbollah yellow;

10. #Houthis' slogan is also a dead give away of #Iran's influence as Houthis chant: "Death to #America, Death to #Israel, Victory to #Islam, and curse on #Jews" They endorsed this since 2003.

Most #Yemenis under #Houthis are coerced into repeating these words.

11. #Yemen's North is changing rapidly and these #Hezbollah-like demonstrations are evidence of a unified stance against the US & #Israel, even when they are not directly impacting #Yemen.

12. Also, military support for #Houthis from #Iran & #Hezbolla is undeniable & comes in different ways. #Houthis have been getting help from #Iran & #Hezbollah, which is well documented. This Reuters report is a good place to start. reuters.com/article/us-yem…

13. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that "the Quds Force, the external arm of the Revolutionary Guard, had a “few hundred” military personnel in #Yemen who train #Houthi fighters.

14. An #IRGC official revealed in 2018 that "Iran not only supported Yemen’s Houthis with weaponry but gave them directives to attack two #Saudi Arabian oil tankers on July 25” His statement was deleted afterward because #Iran needed to cover its tracks. jpost.com/Middle-East/Re…

15. In 2017 "An #IRGC officer, known by his nom de guerre “Abu Ali” led a 52-man Houthi armored assault convoy armed with Katyusha missile launchers out of the northern Yemeni governorate of Sa’ada, and into Saudi Arabia’s Asir border province." Read more: warontherocks.com/2017/06/irans-…

16. Interesting here that two senior #Hezbollah sources told FT in 2015 that "hundreds of Lebanese and #Iranian trainers and military advisers are in Yemen already" So even when sources tell it as it is, analysts are tempted to look the other way. ft.com/content/e1e6f7…

17. Evidence of #Houthis as a proxy for #Iran was also released after video evidence was found in a camp raided by the government of #Yemen in which #Hezbolla commander, Abu Saleh, was giving military advise & training for #Houthis to attack #KSA

18. Here, a #Hezbollah commander tells Houthi disciples of a future tactical operation. He asks: "Did I tell you where or what is the objective of the operation?" They answer "No." He proceeds: "you are Mujahadeen & should not concern yourself with that"

19. #Hezbollah has been active in training #Houthis' coastguards force. (Houthis did not acquire the capacity to build sea mines from nothing.) #Houthis represent a significant threat to maritime activity on the Red Sea. CHECK the VIDEO here...

20. With the #Iran- #US crisis, a Houthi member warned of a "Great War" looming b/w Coalition countries #USA, #Israel #KSA, #UAE & the "Axis of Resistance" in #Yemen, #Iran, #Syria, #Palestine, #Lebanon & #Iraq Making a call for all militias to support #Iran to ensure victory.

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