Mohammed al-Bukhaiti

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti is a senior political official and spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi rebels, a.k.a. Ansar Allah.“What is happening in Yemen?,” Brookings Institution, September 11, 2019, https://www.brookings.edu/events/what-is-happening-in-yemen/. Since the Houthis launched their 2014 revolution against the Yemeni government, Bukhaiti has defended the Houthis’ actions to international media. According to Bukhaiti, the Houthi movement is a “national movement that strongly subscribes to the principles of Arab nationalism and pan-Islamism.”“Q&A: What do the Houthis want?,” Al Jazeera, October 2, 2014, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2014/10/2/qa-what-do-the-houthis-want.

According to Bukhaiti, Yemen’s 2014 revolution—in which the Houthis seized control of parts of the country culminating in the Houthis’ capture of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa in February 2015—was a revolution against the interference of the United States and other international powers in Yemeni affairs. Bukhaiti has argued that Yemen reclaimed its independence in 2014. Referring to the Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting against the Houthis, Bukhaiti has claimed international aggression against Yemen is an attempt to take away the country’s sovereignty.“What is happening in Yemen?,” Brookings Institution, September 11, 2019, https://www.brookings.edu/events/what-is-happening-in-yemen/. According to Bukhaiti, the Houthis’ capture of Yemeni capital of Sanaa was meant to ensure the country’s security.“Q&A: What do the Houthis want?,” Al Jazeera, October 2, 2014, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2014/10/2/qa-what-do-the-houthis-want. Bukhaiti has accused former Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi of aligning with Islamist militants, in particular the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda, and Salafi Islamists.“Houthis say defending Yemen against militants, not targeting Aden,” Reuters, March 24, 2015, https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0MK1K420150324. Bukhaiti claims the Houthis do not want to govern Yemen and will withdraw when an agreement is implemented to guarantee security.“Q&A: What do the Houthis want?,” Al Jazeera, October 2, 2014, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2014/10/2/qa-what-do-the-houthis-want.

Bukhaiti has claimed the Houthis do not rely on Iranian support,“Houthis can defend Yemen without Iran help: official,” Reuters, March 26, 2016, https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0MM0JB20150326. but he has voiced pro-Iran views and spoken out against that country’s enemies. The Houthis share a common position with Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Iran toward the United States and Israel, according to Bukhaiti. While defending Iran in September 2019 against accusations the Islamic Republic was ultimately responsible for a recent Houthi drone attack inside Saudi Arabia, Bukhaiti accused the U.S. Trump administration of “political bankruptcy.”Jon Gambrell and Zeke Mille, “Trump: US locked and loaded for response to attack on Saudis,” Associated Press, September 15, 2019, https://apnews.com/article/269744b35e16422fa746b0c1504ceb4f.

Also Known As

Extremist entity
Houthis
Read Threat Report
Type(s) of Organization:
Insurgent, religious, social services provider, territory-controlling, violent
Ideologies and Affiliations:
Arab nationalist, jihadist, Islamist, Shiite, Zaidi
Position(s):
Spokesman and member of the Houthi Political Council

The Houthis are an Iranian-backed, Shiite Muslim armed religious and political movement in Yemen. The Houthis waged a series of bloody insurgencies against the Yemeni government for over a decade, leading to that regime’s overthrow in 2015.

  • Rhetoric

Fall 2014

“What we have in common with Iran or Hezbollah or Hamas and Islamic Jihad, is that we have a common stand vis-a-vis Israel and US and we will cooperate with any political actor in the region who stands in the face of the US regional designs. But to grasp the complexities of the situation in Yemen, we should only look in Yemen for answers and not in Tehran or Lebanon for that matter.”“Q&A: What do the Houthis want?,” Al Jazeera, October 2, 2014, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/10/qa-what-do-houthis-want-2014101104640578131.html.

Apr. 2020

“We will continue to fight and target their military installations and industrial sites since they continue with the siege. So we don’t consider it to be a ceasefire. There has to be total end of the siege or else the war will continue.”“Saudi-UAE unilateral ceasefire in Yemen begins; Houthis balk,” Al Jazeera, April 9, 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/4/9/saudi-uae-unilateral-ceasefire-in-yemen-begins-houthis-balk.

Nov. 10, 2019

“Naturally, this is up to the Yemeni military forces. Some time has passed since Abdul-Malik [Badreddin] Al-Houthi gave this response to Netanyahu’s threats, and this means that Yemen already has missile and aerial capabilities that can reach the Palestinian lands. Since it can reach Palestinian lands, it can also target any location in this entity. We proved we have this capability when we attacked deep in Saudi Arabia. We do what we say we will do – this is especially true of Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi. I am sure that the Israelis took the threat of a response against any aggression very seriously.”“Houthi Political Council Member Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti: We Have the Capability to Strike Sensitive Targets in Israel; We Will Respond to Any Israeli Act of Aggression,” MEMRI, November 10, 2019, https://www.memri.org/tv/houthi-council-member-bukaiti-strike-sensitive-targets-israel-respond-act-aggression.

Nov. 2018

“When Saudi Arabia started its aggression against Yemen we did not respond for 40 days. We wanted to show who is doing what. We wanted to make sure that Saudi Arabia cannot find justifications if we respond.”“Houthis ready for ceasefire if Saudi-UAE alliance wants ‘peace,’” Al Jazeera, November 19, 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/19/houthis-ready-for-ceasefire-if-saudi-uae-alliance-wants-peace.

Apr. 29, 2018

“The Yemenis have added new systems for manufacturing missiles, so more missiles are targeting Saudi Arabia as a part of an escalation.”“Houthi rebels vow to step up attacks on Saudi oil facilities,” Financial Times, April 29, 2018, https://www.ft.com/content/1c983caa-4a2b-11e8-8ae9-4b5ddcca99b3.

Apr. 2015

“The goal of the movement of American ships is to strengthen the siege imposed on Yemen and put the Yemeni people under collective punishment.”“Arrival of more US warships off Yemen tightens ‘siege’-Houthis,” Reuters, April 21, 2015, https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL5N0XI1X320150421.

Mar. 2015

“The Yemeni people are a free people and they will confront the aggressors. I will remind you that the Saudi government and the Gulf governments will regret this aggression. There is an aggression underway on Yemen and we will confront it valiantly.”“Houthi official says Yemen strikes will set off ‘wide war,’” Reuters, March 25, 2015, https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0MM04720150326.

Mar. 2015

“What is going on now we consider self-defense and the defense of our society.”“Houthis say defending Yemen against militants, not targeting Aden,” Reuters, March 24, 2015, https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0MK1K420150324.

Return to Full Database

Daily Dose

Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.

Fact:

On May 8, 2019, Taliban insurgents detonated an explosive-laden vehicle and then broke into American NGO Counterpart International’s offices in Kabul. At least seven people were killed and 24 were injured.

View Archive