Active Conflicts & News Megathread September 01, 2025

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[u/IntroductionNeat2746]

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/31/middleeast/houthis-un-building-yemen-israel-intl

Houthis storm UN buildings in Yemeni capital after Israel killed PM and other ministers

Iran-backed Houthi rebels stormed the offices of two United Nations agencies in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Sunday, a day after Israel said it killed the prime minister of the rebel-controlled government.

The offices the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) were “entered by local security forces” on Sunday morning, spokespersons for the agencies told CNN in separate statements.

A WFP staff member was detained, as were a number of UNICEF staff members, according to the statements.

Hans Grundberg, the United Nations special envoy for Yemen, later confirmed that at least 11 UN personnel were detained, adding that he “strongly” condemns the detentions, as well as the forced entry into UN premises.

Seems to me like a display of weakness by the now headless Houthis. They cannot retaliate against Israel or the US, so they're instead attacking UN staff as a way to try and show force.

[u/Sauerkohl → u/IntroductionNeat2746]

Seems to me like a display of weakness by the now headless Houthis.

Are the houthis really headless.

I was of the opinion, that the military wing of the organisation was still mostly intact.

[u/eric2332 → u/Sauerkohl]

I believe I read that in Israel's assessment, a large number of military leaders were also present during the bombing, however their names/fate has not been announced (perhaps the Houthis wanted to project an image of strength and/or give the impression that Israel was bad for attacking a mostly civilian target).

I don't expect the killing of military leaders to make much practical difference though, as nobody is going to invade their territory and depose them, and launching the occasional prepositioned missile at Israel or a ship does not require much organizational capacity. Maybe the prospect of personal death will lead their leaders to accept a ceasefire while not calling it that, but this too is highly questionable as historically this has not really deterred jihadist leaders.

[u/Neronoah → u/eric2332]

It raises the costs of shooting missiles to Israel. They are a minor threat while the Houthies would lose their leaders from time to time.

[u/eric2332 → u/Neronoah]

Yes, but those missiles have gains too. My impression is they are pretty popular with the Houthi-controlled population.

[u/Neronoah → u/eric2332]

But is that popularity worth being blown up? Unlike Hezbollah and Hamas, it's probably not too late to quit while they are ahead.

[u/IntroductionNeat2746 → u/eric2332]

My impression is they are pretty popular with the Houthi-controlled population.

I genuinely have no idea what the population really thinks of the Houthis, nor do I know of any reliable way to get that info.

[u/Time_Restaurant5480 → u/IntroductionNeat2746]

They are very popular with the Yemeni population. This is due to many factors including clan divides, previous civil wars, the awfulness of the previous goverment, and the Houthi ideology itself.