Houthi Brigade's Role in Syrian Conflict

A radical sectarian brigade whose members fought in southern

Damascus. Iran orchestrated its arrival in Syria

after subjecting its fighters to intensive military training,

then it waded into Syrian blood from the outset of the revolution.

What do you know about the Houthi-created brigade that fought and

still fights alongside the Assad regime?

The Red Devils.

A name Syrians, especially in southern Damascus, gave to Houthi

fighters who wore red badges and insignia

that set them apart from the other fighting groups there.

Their presence in Syria was first announced in May

2013, but the brigade had been active since the start of the regime's war

on Syrians. One of its most prominent casualties was field commander

Mohammed al-Warrafi. Former fighters in southern Damascus

told Syria TV that the Saada Brigade had been present since

2012, and was then concentrated in several areas,

including Hujayrah and Sayyida Zaynab, and the area extending between

Sayyida Zaynab and al-Dhiyabiyah. The Houthi brigade was tasked with

protecting the town of Sayyida Zaynab, despite the presence of groups

Afghan, Iraqi, Lebanese and Iranian,

But he was selected for his ferocity in combat, based on the assessment of fighters

who had previously fought in the region.

Iran took on the task of transporting Houthi Brigade fighters to Syria.

The Israeli Jerusalem Post reported on Tehran's use

of Eritrean islands in the Red Sea for purposes of training in

combat and storing Houthi weapons. After receiving

training, the fighters traveled to Baghdad and Beirut, then gathered

there in camps before being transferred to Damascus, and they

used Iranian documents to travel from Syria so that Yemeni

authorities would not know their whereabouts upon their return, according to

the newspaper. A Yemeni source confirmed to Al-Quds Al-Arabi

the successive transfer of some brigade groups from various countries to

Damascus to join the fighters. For months, the name

of this brigade has resurfaced. Saudi Al Majalla magazine

confirmed that it still exists in Syria.

In turn, the Euphrates Post network revealed in a report the arrival

A Houthi delegation to areas controlled by Iran and the regime

Assad in Deir ez-Zor, to establish training centers in

the area. The London-based Al-Arab newspaper previously cited a source

close to the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades, confirming the presence of

several radical brigades in Syria formed on

a sectarian, ideological basis, including the Saada

Houthi Brigade. Accounts differed regarding the number of fighters in this

brigade, but overall, they ranged between 750

and 2,000 fighters seconded by Abdul Malik al-Houthi

to fight alongside Iran first, and the Assad regime

second.