The Houthi insurgency began in 2004 in Yemen's northern Saada governorate, when followers of Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi clashed with forces of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The movement, formally called Ansar Allah ("Supporters of God"), draws primarily from the Zaydi Shia community and frames its struggle around opposition to government corruption, perceived marginalization of Zaydis, and hostility toward U.S. and Saudi influence. Its slogan invokes death to America and Israel and curses on Jews.
Six rounds of fighting between 2004 and 2010 ended inconclusively. After the 2011 Arab Spring uprising forced Saleh from power, the Houthis expanded territorially during Yemen's fragile transition under President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. In September 2014 they seized the capital Sanaa, and in early 2015 they advanced south toward Aden, prompting Hadi to flee.
In March 2015 a Saudi-led coalition, including the UAE, launched Operation Decisive Storm, beginning a sustained air campaign backed by the United States, United Kingdom, and France through arms sales and intelligence. The UN Security Council passed Resolution 2216 (April 2015), imposing an arms embargo on Houthi leaders and demanding their withdrawal. The war produced what the UN has repeatedly described as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with mass civilian casualties, famine conditions, and a cholera outbreak.
A UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022 and, though formally lapsed, largely held. Saudi-Houthi talks accelerated after the March 2023 Beijing-mediated Saudi-Iran rapprochement. Following the October 2023 Israel-Hamas war, the Houthis launched missile and drone attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, prompting U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian and joint U.S.–U.K. strikes on Houthi targets beginning in January 2024.
The group is widely assessed to receive Iranian weapons, training, and financing, though it operates with significant autonomy and controls territory holding most of Yemen's population.
Example
In January 2024, the United States and United Kingdom launched coordinated airstrikes on Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen in response to attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes.
Frequently asked questions
They receive Iranian arms, training, and political support and are part of Tehran's so-called Axis of Resistance, but most analysts describe them as an autonomous ally rather than a directly controlled proxy.
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