Prepared for War: Houthis Organize Military Parade in Sanaa

  Thousands of Ansar Allah (Houthi) fighters marched  Thursday on Al-Sabeen Square in Sanaa, accompanied by dozens of trucks that carried cruise missiles and drones. This show of force commemorates the Houthis' takeover of Sanaa and sends a warning message to their local and regional opponents.

Senior Houthi officials attended to watch the military parade and delivered speeches expressing their defiance of their enemies and confidence in their military capabilities.

Speaking to the audience and the parade in Al-Sabeen Square, Houthi-appointed Defence Minister Mohammed Al-Halimi said, "We repeat our warnings to foreign forces... that we will not accept their presence on our lands, they have to leave or they will face the volcanoes of Yemeni anger."

Days before today's parade, informed sources told Sheba Intelligence that the Houthis are transporting naval missiles from the navy and coastal defense stores to various regions and deploying maritime communications systems extensively.

Helicopters participated in this military display, roaming the sky of the capital, Sanaa, throwing packages of chocolate over neighborhoods.

Houthi officials said the participation of the Air Force in the parade is a message to the local opponents and foreign foes that "the Yemeni minds and hands were able" to restore the role of the Air Force.

The Iran-aligned group took over Sanaa on September 21, 2014, and they stretched their military presence in several provinces in 2015. The UN-recognized government, supported by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, has failed to crush the Houthi military capabilities over the past years of war. A shift towards diplomacy began last year, and efforts to find political solutions to the conflict are ongoing.

The chief of the Houthi group, Abdulmalek Al-Houthi, delivered a televised speech this afternoon, explaining how his group's seizure of Sanaa has rid Yemen of American and foreign interference in the country's internal matters.

He said his group has been capable of manufacturing all types of weapons and military equipment, including artillery, shells, pistols, and missiles over the past years of war.

He admitted the faulty performance of government authorities in Sanaa and other provinces, saying that this "requires a radical change that restores hope to the people and establishes a new phase in which state institutions play their role in serving the population."

The first stage of the change, Al-Houthi said, will be declared on the occasion of the anniversary of the Prophet's Birthday, which will happen next week.

Abdullah Ali, a 40-year-old resident of Sanaa, told Sheba Intelligence, "We [people] do not think another political party or group will replace the Houthis soon. Their rule will continue for years, and no war or politics can take power from them overnight."

"I cannot imagine that the Houthis will accept to be part of a government in Yemen or allow a president outside their circle to lead the country. They have money, weapons, and troops, enabling them to dominate for several years," said Ali.