dhayf allah al-shami, a senior houthi, was my guide in sa'dah. >> al ahmad: hussein ahouthi believed 9/11 was an american and zionist conspiracy to occupy muslim lands. >> al ahmad: in 2004, hussein al-houthi and his men came under heavy attack by the yemeni army. they hid in a cave in the mountains of sa'dah. it's now become a shrine for his followers. >> al ahmad: according to the houthis, the yemeni army poured petrol into the cave, then set it on fire. many of al-houthi's family were killed. >> al ahmad: hussein al-houthi was allegedly captured by the army and later killed. he became a martyr whose ideas still resonate today with his followers. they compare his death to the martyrdom of one of the founders of shia islam, also called hussein. (explosions) >> al ahmad: by 2009, concerned about the houthis on their border, saudi arabia joined the yemeni army's attack on sa'dah. >> al ahmad: the old city of sa'dah still bears the scars of the sixth and last war. (children chanting) >> al ahmad: the government maintained an almost complete media blackout during their wars. until recent