Negotiations to end the ongoing Yemeni civil war collapsed last week, after delegates of the Iran-backed Houthi Shiite militia refused to compromise on key issues.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Riad Yassin stated that Houthi representatives acted like “ghosts” during the talks, opting to relax in their hotel rooms rather than engaging with delegates from other parties. Meanwhile, the casualty count in Yemen topped 2,600, including dozens killed in clashes while the talks were ongoing after a Houthi assault in the central province of Mareb.

Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, escalated the conflict in Yemen when they captured much of the capital city of Sanaa in October of last year. In January of this year, the Houthis captured the presidential palace in Sanaa.  President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi fled to Aden and declared that city the capital in March, before reportedly fleeing to exile in Saudi Arabia. Units of the Yemeni military, “popular committees” of Yemeni citizens, student protesters, Sunni tribal factions, and an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia are involved in a joint effort to defeat the Houthi rebels.

Iran supports similar terrorist proxy armies throughout the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, numerous Shiite militias in Iraq, and Hamas and other terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip.

[Photo: Reuters / YouTube ]