Sa'dah insurgency
The Sa'dah insurgency[20][21] is a civil war in Yemen. It began in June 2004 when dissident cleric Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, head of the Shī‘a Zaidiyyah sect, launched an uprising against the Yemeni government. Most of the fighting has taken place in Sa'dah Governorate in northwestern Yemen.
The Yemeni government alleges that the Shabab al-Muomineen seek to overthrow it and to implement Shī‘a religious law. The rebels counter that they are "defending their community against discrimination" and government aggression.[22] The Yemeni government has accused Iran of directing and financing the insurgency.[23]
2009: Fifth outbreak
Skirmishes and the clashes between the two sides during 2009 began in June. Nine foreigners were abducted in June while apparently on a picnic in Saada Province. The bodies of three of them, a South Korean teacher and two German nurses were discovered. Five Germans, including three children and a Briton, are still missing and their status is unknown. It is still unclear who is behind the kidnapping. Initial official statements said the group was apparently seized by Houthi rebels. However, Yemen's news agency later reported Houthi rebels accused drug cartels of abducting the group and killing the three. In addition, a spokesman for the rebels accused regional tribes of being behind the kidnappings and slayings.[41]
A government committee criticised the fighters for not abiding by an agreement to end hostilities announced by the Yemeni president in July 2008. During July and early August 2009, local officials said the fighters had taken control of more of Saada province from government forces. They seized an important army post near Saada's provincial capital on a strategic highway linking the capital Sana with Saudi Arabia after 12 hours of intense combat.[42]
Yemeni troops, backed by tanks and fighter aircraft, launched a major offensive, code-named Operation Scorched Earth,[43] on the stronghold of the rebels in northern Yemen on August 11, 2009, after the government promised an "iron fist" against the rebels. Government forces fired missiles on the headquarters of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the rebel leader. The army also launched air, artillery and missile attacks on the Malaheedh, Mahadher, Khafji and Hasama districts.[42] On September 17, more than 80 people were killed in an air raid on a camp for displaced people in northern Yemen.[44]
The conflict took on an international dimension late in the month. Clashes were reported between the Houthis and Saudi security forces near the border.[45] Also, Yemeni officials captured a boat in the Red Sea that was transporting anti-tank shells and, according to some reports, five Iranian "instructors" sent to help the Houthis.[46] Various official Iranian sources responded, calling it a politically motivated fabrication and stating that the ship was traveling for business activities carrying no consignment.[47] In early November the rebels stated that Saudi Arabia was permitting Yemeni army units to launch attacks from across the border at a base in Jabal al-Dukhan, charges which were denied by the Yemeni government.[48]
The conflict spilled into neighbouring Saudi Arabia for the first time since erupting in 2009 on November 4 when rebels shot dead a Saudi security officer in a cross-border attack. The rebels took control of a mountainous section inside Saudi Arabia, in the border region of Jabal al-Dukhan.[45] The kingdom’s news agency said that rebels had entered Saudi territory and attacked patrols, and that a second soldier later died from the same clash.[49][50] On November 5, Saudi Arabia responded by launching heavy air strikes on rebels in northern Yemen and moved troops nearer the border. Saudi government officials said only that the air force had bombed Yemeni rebels who had seized a border area inside the kingdom, which they said had now been recaptured. The officials said at least 40 rebels had been killed in the fighting. The Saudi government adviser said no decision had yet been taken to send troops across the border, but made clear Riyadh was no longer prepared to tolerate the Yemeni rebels.[49] The Saudi assault continued the following day, as Saudi residents near the southern border of Jizan Province were evacuated.[51] At the same time, a Houthi spokesman reported to the media that they had captured Saudi troops.[52]
Alleged Iranian involvement
The Saudi and Yemeni governments both accuse Shia Iran of helping the Houthis. Iran, they say, has secretly landed arms on the Red Sea coast. In October, 2009, Yemen’s government said its navy intercepted an arms-carrying Iranian vessel. Yemen’s state-controlled press claims Houthi rebels have been trained in an Iranian-run camp across the Red Sea in Eritrea. Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, says members of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hizbullah militia are teaching them. The Yemeni authorities also darkly note that the Houthis’ long-time leader, Hussein al-Houthi, who died in battle in 2004, used to visit Qom, one of Shia Iran’s holiest cities.[53]
None of these accusations have yet been borne out by independent observers and the Iranians deny any involvement.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa'dah_insurgency