Houthi rebels audition to be America’s next quagmire
SANA’AH, Yemen — Hussein Muhammad al-Houthi, a mid-level ground commander for the Ansar Allah, smiles enthusiastically as he enjoys tea with his trusted lieutenants in a ramshackle shop nestled in the ruins a bombed out building. The 41-year-old Yemeni is excited about what he considers a once in a lifetime opportunity—to be part of the newest American quagmire in the Middle East.
“It truly is a blessing from the Prophet!” Hussein declared, lifting his teary eyes and battle-scarred hands to the sky. “Seriously, at this point, I was starting to think we would never get our break. We’re not cherries.”
“We’ve been at this since 1994.”
In September, Houthi drones struck two Aramco oil refineries in Saudi Arabia. President Donald Trump responded by authorizing U.S. troops to deploy to Saudi Arabia to help defend the kingdom. The move has sparked speculation of possible U.S. and coalition troops operating inside Yemen in the near future.
While many see the specter of entering a ground war in Ye…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Duffel Blog to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.