The Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, is an Islamist rebel movement fighting in the Yemen Civil War.
They are primarily made up of Shia Muslims and their name comes from their leadership being primarily from the Houthi tribe.
The group is thought to have its roots to Yemeni youth movements but were believed to have become radicalized and eventually emerged in the early 2000s as an opposition movement against then-Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Its leader at the time, Hussein al-Houthi, was killed by Yemeni troops in 2004. Abdul-Malik al-Houthi currently leads the organization.
The Houthis aided in the overthrow of Saleh in the 2011 Yemeni Revolution, and in 2014, they managed to seize control of the capital city of Saana, sparking the still-ongoing Yemeni civil war.
Widely believed to be an Iran-backed proxy group, the Houthis are also known for their antisemitic views. Their slogan is "God is the Greatest. Death to America. Death to Israel. A Curse Upon the Jews. Victory to Islam."
Following the October 7 massacre in 2023, the Houthis began launching numerous ballistic missile and drone strikes against Israel, as well as attacking ships in the Red Sea. This has launched numerous tit-for-tat strikes between Ansar Allah and the Jewish state.
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The 'ban on the passage of all Israeli ships' will continue 'until the crossings to the Gaza Strip are reopened and aid, food, and medicine are allowed in,' Saree added.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he believes that Israel is threatening to widen the war throughout the region.
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Houthis seek bigger role in Gaza war, threaten missile and drone strikes.
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On March 2, Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza as a standoff over the truce escalated, with Hamas calling on Egyptian and Qatari mediators to intervene.
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Experts call the drone carrier a significant boost to the naval capabilities of the IRGC but say that Israeli air and naval forces could easily track and neutralize the vessel in a conflict scenario.
"The assessment is that the Houthis will resume fire when Israel renews the fighting in Gaza," a source familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post.
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