Houthis establish new force modelled on Iran's Basij

Yemen's Houthi movement, Ansar Allah, has announced the creation of a new structure, the General Mobilisation Forces, aimed at strengthening its control over territories under the group's administration.

According to Intelligence Online, the new organisation is modelled on Iran's Basij, the paramilitary force operating under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The publication reports that its mission is to build a network of volunteers in virtually every district of Houthi-controlled provinces. Recruits are trained in weapons handling and the movement's ideology, while receiving food assistance and other benefits in return.

According to the report, the establishment of the new force comes amid growing public discontent, the movement's financial difficulties, delays in payments to its fighters, and deepening internal divisions within the Houthi leadership.