At least 28 people were killed and dozens of others were wounded in the latest ISIS car bombing attack against Houthis in the Yemeni capital city of Sanaa. The attack, late Monday night, was the second such attack in recent days.
The bombing targeted a pair of brothers, both chiefs in the Houthi forces, who were gathering to mourn a relative slain recently in the fighting. ISIS bragged the attack targeted “a Shi’ite nest.” Many of the slain were said to be civilians.
Though ISIS is a relatively small faction within Yemen, but has been carrying out a growing number of attacks on Houthis in recent weeks, and have killed dozens of Houthis and civilians in repeated strikes.
The Shi’ite Houthis have become a popular target for Islamist factions within Yemen, and even moreso in recent months, since Saudi Arabia declared war against them. ISIS appears to be using their high-profile attacks to increase their visibility within Yemen and help with domestic recruiting, and to underscore that their ambitions, like those of the parent organization in Syria and Iraq, are broad indeed.