On June 5, 2013, the scene in the Saada province in northern Yemen was astonishing. The funeral ceremony of the founder of the Houthi rebel group, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, was a grand event. Photos of the leader, dubbed the “martyr commander,” were raised and the crowd enthusiastically chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great), “Death to America,” “Death to Israel,” “Damn the Jews,” and “Victory to Islam.”

The national flag, however, was nowhere to be found, and guards wearing what resembled military uniforms carried the remains of Houthi on their shoulders with reverence. Meanwhile, other guards patrolled the streets with their cars that bore the movement’s slogan, ensuring security. During the ceremony, the honor guard took the stage, pledging loyalty to the new leader, Hussein’s brother Abdul Malak. The commander of the guards addressed Abdul Malak in front of hundreds of thousands of mourners as “my master and lord.” 

This burial ceremony called to mind a similar scene: the ceremonies held by Hezbollah in south Lebanon. This funeral seemed to be an attempt by the Houthis to mold into a model similar to that of Hezbollah.

What’s more, the reburial ceremony of the founder of the Houthi rebel group, which came nine years after he was killed, heralded the birth of a Houthi state and augured an impending wave of sectarian fighting in Yemen, in the event that such a state were to come to fruition.