The Houthi militias have transformed the mosques in the kidnapped Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and its suburbs into tools for military mobilization and fundraising, exploiting the platforms to mobilize fighters and drain the pockets of worshipers under the banner of what they call the “war effort,” at a time when living crises are worsening and the population’s ability to provide for their basic needs is declining.
Local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that, in recent days, the Houthi militias have intensified fundraising campaigns inside mosques and at their doors in eight districts in Sanaa, by setting up financial funds and urging worshipers to provide money to finance their military activities, including what they call “missile force” and “unmanned aviation.”
The sources added that the leaders of the Houthi militias took advantage of the mosques to call for urgent donations, in parallel with moral incitement campaigns aimed at pushing citizens to respond, and linking the abstention from providing funds with failure to support the group, in an effort to employ religious pressure and political betrayal to extract more resources.
The Houthi movements are not limited to collecting money, as they have extended to attracting new fighters from inside the mosques, through calls for what it calls “general mobilization,” and registering the names of those wishing to join military and mobilization courses in preparation for sending them to the fighting fronts, especially in Taiz, Ma’rib, Al-Jawf, and the western coast.
These campaigns reveal Houthi efforts to combine securing funding and attracting fighters, at a time when the group is facing human and military losses on a number of fronts, while the population bears increasing economic burdens.
Pressure from pulpits
According to worshippers, the Houthi calls included accusations of inaction and indifference to those who refrained from donating, and linked failure to respond to the calls to standing by the legitimate government, in an attempt to push worshipers to provide funds under religious and political pressure.
These practices sparked resentment among residents who saw them as exploiting the sanctity of places of worship and turning them into points for collecting money and financing the war, at a time when large sectors are suffering from deteriorating purchasing power and declining sources of income, and many families are struggling to secure their daily needs.
The sources said that the campaigns included the districts of Al-Wahda, Ma'in, Al-Saba'in, Al-Tahrir, Azal, Old Sana'a, Al-Thawra, and Al-Safiya, where donation boxes were placed inside and at the doors of mosques, with worshipers urged to fund the group's military activities.
These movements coincided with the escalation of recruitment calls, as the group pushed its members to the gates of a number of mosques after Friday prayers, carrying records, tables and chairs, with the aim of recording the data of those wishing to join military and tactical courses.
Refusal to enlist
Rami, a resident of Sanaa, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthi elements wearing military uniforms arrived early last Friday at the gates of a mosque in the Tahrir District in the center of the capital, bringing registration records, in conjunction with appeals made by preachers affiliated with the group urging worshipers to respond.
He added that most of the worshipers refused to respond to the invitations, and many of them left after prayer without paying attention to the elements who were waiting for them at the gates, an indication of growing reluctance to mobilize campaigns, according to his narration.
The sources reported that the group’s leaders linked participation in military courses to what they described as religious and patriotic duties, in an effort to expand the recruitment base and compensate for the shortage of fighters, in conjunction with the ongoing confrontations on a number of battle lines.
These moves place the mosques at the heart of the group’s efforts to mobilize human and financial resources, after the platforms became a means of mobilizing support for its military activities, instead of being limited to its religious and social role.
The Houthi militias pushed new military reinforcements from Sanaa, Dhamar and Ibb towards Taiz Governorate, in an effort to compensate for their human losses and strengthen their combat positions, amid faltering efforts to attract new fighters from the population and tribes in the areas under their control.
Informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the reinforcements that moved during the past hours included dozens of military vehicles carrying hundreds of militants, heading to the fighting fronts in Taiz, especially the western front of the city, which is witnessing continuous confrontations.
The sources explained that the majority of the recruits included in the reinforcements belong to the marginalized group of dark-skinned people, in addition to security personnel and officers who were withdrawn from police stations and prisons and attached to the formations heading to the fronts, in an indication of the pressures the group is facing to provide new fighters and fill the shortage in its ranks.
Sending these reinforcements comes in light of the group’s declining ability to attract more fighters from citizens and tribesmen, with the escalation of popular and tribal rejection of the mobilization campaigns. This prompts it to transfer elements from several governorates under its control to reinforce the front lines.
Residents in the areas of Haziz in Sana'a, Ma'bar in Dhamar Governorate, Habeish Junction and the Al-Qaeda area in Ibb Governorate monitored Houthi military convoys crossing the main road linking the three governorates to Taiz, last Saturday and Sunday evening.
Residents said that the vehicles were passing in successive batches, a few minutes apart, carrying Houthi militants, in movements that appeared to be part of an organized transportation process to strengthen the group’s military presence in the governorate.
The sources stated that the recruits were transferred after receiving intensive combat training supervised by field commanders, noting that the movements were preceded by transfers of weapons and various military equipment to a number of fighting fronts in Taiz.
Recruitment pressures
The Houthi reinforcements coincide with the continuation of confrontations in the vicinity of the city of Taiz, amid human and military losses incurred by the Houthi group, according to sources, at a time when it seeks to strengthen its positions with more personnel and equipment.
Resorting to recruiting recruits from different governorates, in conjunction with the faltering recruitment of tribesmen and residents, reflects the difficulty of supplying the fronts with fighters, and increases the group’s dependence on mobilization campaigns and transferring members to the front lines.
This move also highlights the cost that the Houthis impose on the population in areas under their control, with more recruits being pushed to the battle fronts instead of responding to the collapse of livelihood and services.
Operation “Yemen Dawn” has entered its fifteenth day, with continued military pressure on the Iranian-backed Houthi militias on the Taiz and Ma’rib fronts, and government attacks continuing to regain the sites it controls, in conjunction with air strikes targeting their gatherings, reinforcements, and fortifications, amid Yemeni military estimates that the Houthis have lost more than 15,000 dead and wounded personnel over the past weeks.
The Yemeni Armed Forces announced the implementation of 1,326 targeting operations during the past twenty-four hours, targeting Houthi gatherings, vehicles, fortifications, and fire sources. They said that the operations resulted, according to a preliminary outcome, in the neutralization of about 370 elements, and the destruction and damage of dozens of military vehicles and means.
In Taiz, confrontations continued on several axes, coinciding with the advance of government forces, supported by popular resistance, in various areas, and the recovery of sites, heavy weapons, and military equipment, at a time when the Houthi group seeks to rearrange its ranks and strengthen its combat positions after the defeat of attacks described as among the most violent during the last two days.
The confrontations were concentrated in the vicinity of Jabal Han and Al-Dhabab, west of the city, and the Al-Shaqab, Al-Aqrodh, and Al-Misrakh fronts in Jabal Sabar in the south, in addition to the Air Defense and Ghurab fronts, northwest of Taiz, while the northern and eastern fronts witnessed intermittent clashes that intensified at intervals.
Government forces made progress in the Al-Sanamat and Al-Sarari areas in the Sabr District, south of Taiz, following an attack that began at dawn on Sunday, according to what military sources reported, which reported heavy losses among the Houthis, and the continuation of operations. The warplanes also launched three raids targeting the group’s gatherings in Tabet al-Danain and the Madarat area, northwest of the city.
In parallel with the Taiz battles, government forces continued to put pressure on the remaining Houthi enclaves in the Bab al-Mandab region, while working to secure the highlands separating the governorates of Taiz and Lahj, in an effort to stabilize the positions that the forces had recovered, and prevent the group from using them to launch counter-attacks, or threaten the lines of movement.
Developing the attack eastward
On the eastern front, west of Ma'rib Governorate, the Yemeni Armed Forces reported that they developed their attack towards specific targets after the preliminary fire, and with the support of military aircraft and drones, which targeted the Houthi movements, their reinforcements, and their fire positions. She said that the simultaneous pressure on the southern and western fronts limited the group's ability to maneuver, transfer reserves, and reorganize its forces between the axes.
In a development that reflects the expanding scope of the Houthi attacks, the number of ballistic missiles launched by the group on the city of Marib rose to eight missiles within one day, according to the governorate’s information office.
The office explained that the total number of ballistic missiles and projectiles launched by the group within 72 hours reached 24, warning of the dangers threatening civilians, residential neighborhoods, and civilian facilities, especially in a governorate that hosts large numbers of displaced people.
These attacks coincide with the continuation of government and air strikes on Houthi positions, at a time when Yemeni military estimates indicate that the group has suffered extensive human losses over the past weeks, with operations continuing on more than one front.
Destruction of a vital road
In a parallel context, the Houthis' destruction of the ferry located on the Haijat al-Abd road linking Taiz and Lahj raised fears of additional humanitarian and economic repercussions, given the importance of the road in the movement of citizens, and the transport of goods and supplies to Taiz and its associated areas.
In a statement, the Yemeni Ministry of Transport considered the destruction of the facility an attack on the civilian infrastructure, which would disrupt the movement of commercial and service transport, and obstruct the arrival of goods and basic materials, thus doubling the living burdens on the population in light of the difficult economic conditions.
The Ministry called on the international community, the United Nations, and human rights and humanitarian organizations to take action against targeting roads and vital installations, work to assess the damage, and provide the necessary treatments to rehabilitate the road and restore transportation, warning that the continued destruction of infrastructure exacerbates the suffering of citizens and undermines their access to their basic needs.
The road gains additional importance in light of the continuing confrontations in Taiz and the military pressure on its axes, as it represents one of the vital paths for the movement of people and goods between the governorate and the southern regions, while its obstruction increases the difficulty of movement and supply.
Security alert
In Aden, an expanded security meeting chaired by the Yemeni Minister of Interior, Major General Ibrahim Haidan, discussed developments in the security situation, general mobilization, the level of readiness in the security services in the governorates, and the efforts made to combat crime, pursue wanted elements, and control sabotage cells.
Haidan stressed the importance of coordinating efforts between military and security formations, and supporting the armed forces in Operation “Yemen Dawn,” noting that pursuing Houthi cells and thwarting sabotage plans represent an essential part of protecting the home front and supporting military operations.
The Minister stressed raising the level of vigilance and exchanging information between the security services, in a way that enhances the response to threats and protects citizens and public and private property, at a time when confrontations continue on multiple fronts, and government forces seek to consolidate their field gains and prevent the Houthis from regaining the initiative.
