On Friday afternoon, in cities and towns across Houthi-controlled Yemen, millions participated in orchestrated rallies chanting anti-Israel and anti-U.S. slogans, exemplifying the growing influence of the Iranian-backed Houthis amid ongoing regional conflict. Demonstrators paraded through the streets in 196 separate marches, bearing banners emblazoned with the new slogan: “With God’s power, we expelled the U.S., and we will expel Israel.” These events reflect the Houthis’ campaign to position themselves as a key vanguard in Iran’s regional ambitions against Israel and the West, while consolidating power domestically through controlled mass mobilization.
Since seizing Sana’a in 2014, the Houthis — known formally as Ansar Allah — have entrenched themselves as both rulers and ideological leaders in northwestern Yemen. Under Iran’s guidance and material support, they have expanded their reach and constructed a loyal support base through both religious rhetoric and coercive control. Friday rallies have become a fixture in which propaganda and religious messaging intertwine, amplifying the regime’s narrative of expelling Western influence and opposing Israel.
The Houthis’ transformation from a Zaydi Shia revivalist group to one of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s most potent proxies has had profound consequences for both Yemen and the broader Middle East. An official Houthi spokesman declared during the latest rallies that fighting “Zionist aggression” is a religious duty. Banners and slogans routinely call for the death of Israel and the U.S., with speeches invoking the guidance of Iran’s Supreme Leader and the ‘Axis of Resistance’ alliance, which links the Houthis with Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iraqi militia groups under Iran’s direction.
This rhetoric has materialized in military escalation. Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre — the deadliest antisemitic atrocity since the Holocaust — the Houthis increased their threats and began launching missiles and drones towards Israel. Although most were intercepted by U.S.-led air and missile defenses, these attacks signal a willingness to participate in the broader Iranian-coordinated campaign against Israel. The Houthis have also turned the Red Sea into a conflict zone, intermittently targeting international shipping they allege is linked to Israel, the United States, and other Western states. These attacks have drawn U.S. and British naval responses and heightened tensions throughout vital shipping lanes.
The Houthis’ demonstrations are equal parts propaganda vehicle and instrument of domestic control. Religious themes are invoked in speeches and banners, while loyalty to the regime and its foreign allies is enforced through social expectation and coercion. Iranian ideological and material support is pivotal: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps provides training, missile technology, and operational coordination, making the Houthis an integral component in Tehran’s regional power projection.
Beyond the ideological war, Yemen remains mired in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. International organizations estimate that over 20 million Yemenis require aid, a calamity deepened by the Houthis’ militarization of society and economy for the aims of the Axis of Resistance. Dissent is suppressed, and the population is repeatedly mobilized to reinforce regime authority under a narrative of steadfast resistance and independence — despite the clear reliance on Iranian assistance.
For Iran, the Houthis’ consolidation of power and disruptive potential provide a strategic advantage against Israel and Western interests, adding another front to a multi-pronged campaign stretching from Lebanon and Syria to Iraq and the Red Sea. The coordinated mass rallies are an outward display of strategic messaging: a warning to Western governments over support for Israel and a signal to the Axis of Resistance that Yemen is a committed participant in their shared struggle.
The asymmetry between Israel and the Houthis is clear: Israel, a sovereign democracy facing existential threats, conducts defensive operations targeted at terror entities such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and the Houthis themselves — all of which are supplied and directed by Tehran. The Houthis, far from fighting a purely nationalist struggle, are agents in Iran’s broader project of regional destabilization and confrontation against Israel’s very right to exist.
International responses focus primarily on containing Houthi military escalation and facilitating humanitarian relief. The United States and the United Kingdom have conducted targeted strikes in Yemen to protect international shipping, while Israel has bolstered defense measures against the Houthi threat. United Nations diplomats have repeatedly called for ceasefires and unimpeded aid deliveries, but Houthi leaders often make demands that prioritize their own recognition and secure Iranian interests.
In sum, the mass rallies witnessed every Friday in Yemen are not mere expressions of public opinion. They are carefully choreographed displays of regime unity and commitment to Iran’s Axis of Resistance — designed to intimidate adversaries, reinforce internal cohesion, and further destabilize the region. The Houthis’ continued escalation, both rhetorical and operational, poses a direct threat to Israel and underlines the necessity of sustained vigilance, robust international coordination, and honest recognition of the true actors and motives driving the region’s wars.
As Israel continues to defend its population against these interlinked threats — with its operations justified by the imperative to prevent further massacres and atrocities — it is clear that the broader conflict will continue to play out not only on the battlefields, but also in the hearts and minds of populations throughout the Middle East. The events in Yemen are a stark reminder that the challenges faced by Israel and its allies are rooted in a deep, ideologically-driven regional confrontation — where propaganda, terror, and direct attack are all weapons in Iran’s ongoing war against the Jewish state and the international order.
