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On January 12, 2023, Yemen's Iran-backed Ansar Allah Movement (the Houthis) published a photoset on its website and on Telegram showing a military exercise of the group's fighters as part of their preparation for the "holy jihad."
The exercise comes amid escalating attacks carried out by the Houthis on ships in the Red Sea in support of the Hamas attack on October 7 against Israel. The Iran-aligned Houthis also launched several missile and drone attacks against Israel in the past weeks.
Reporting on the exercise, the group's website said: "The Infantry Brigade 141 in the Al-Baqa' Axis, conducted a military maneuver for selective units under the title, 'Ready for the Battle of the Promised Conquest and Holy Jihad.' A number of military units participated in the exercise, including the Air Force, anti-tank units, snipers, engineering, artillery, armored forces, infantry forces, military communications, and the specific tasks unit."
The website highlighted that the exercise "demonstrated some of the skills and capabilities of the participating units, which they acquired from field experience and special military courses." The site noted that the exercise was attended by the Commander of the Sixth Military Region, Major General Jamil Zaraa, the Governor of Saada, Muhammad Jaber Awad, and other military leaders and social figures.
Photos showed fighters aiming at tents that displayed the Star of David on them. Other images showed tanks and missiles fired in a desert area.
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