By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-05-21

ADEN -- A viral online campaign in Yemen is helping civilians counter Houthi efforts to embed fighters and weapons in population centers, analysts told Al-Fassel.

The hashtag #Don't_Accept_the_Houthis_Among_You quickly spread across Houthi-controlled northern regions in opposition to a tactic dating back to the group's early rise.

The campaign gained traction during 53 days of US military operations that ended May 7, when the Iranian regime-backed group pledged to halt attacks in the Red Sea.

In mid-April, Yemen's Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani accused the Houthis of deliberately storing weapons in public facilities and industrial sites across territory under their control.

"The militia has repeatedly demonstrated its disregard for civilian lives, deliberately using them as human shields... without caring about the humanitarian disasters that may result from these criminal practices," he wrote on X.

Digital activism has become "an influential media resistance front" that mobilizes human rights organizations and prompts international condemnation, said political analyst Mahmoud al-Taher, a longtime documenter of Houthi violations.

In 2016, United Nations experts found the Houthis systematically concealing fighters and military equipment in civilian areas such as al-Mukha in Taez province to deter strikes.

The group's tactics include forcing civilians to stay during strikes, occupying homes, booby-trapping evacuated buildings, and converting private property into military sites, al-Taher said.

"Civilians are the first victims of the Houthis hiding among them," he told Al-Fassel. "Their use of homes, farms, and schools as military fortifications puts residents directly at risk."

"The Houthis have developed multiple tactics to evade airstrikes," said Abdul Qader al-Kharraz, director of research at the Berlin-based Democratic Arab Center, "including using civilian infrastructure like ports and airports."

At Ras Issa port, the group militarized the facility while deliberately keeping civilian workers on site, al-Kharraz said.

The Houthis continue positioning civilians at strategic locations to shield their operations, he added.

In Sanaa, families adapted to the risks by temporarily relocating to safer areas during military operations and returning only after the threats had passed, political analyst Faisal Ahmed told Al-Fassel.

Public pushback

Communities in Taez, al-Hodeidah, and Marib are actively reporting Houthi movements and refusing shelter to fighters, according to al-Taher.

Their resistance has created a significant deterrent that limits the Houthis' ability to maneuver on the ground, he said.

As more areas push back, the group has escalated reprisals.

On May 18, the Houthis blew up several homes in Amran province's Gharib al-Sawdah area after accusing residents of opposing them, Al-Mashhad al-Yemeni reported.

The detonations were ordered by a senior Houthi official, the news site said.

Since their 2014 coup, the Houthis have demolished 900 homes of opponents across several provinces, it added.