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.
NATIONAL AFFAIRS: The US president heads to Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar in search of deals and diplomatic wins – leaving Israel out of the itinerary, but not out of the equation.
This is a war against the existence of Israel, the Jewish state. Hamas has Israel’s destruction written as an aim in its charter. The Houthis are even less subtle.
IDF dismantles terror tunnel in Rafah • IDF kills PIJ terrorist in Jenin • IDF intercepts Houthi missile
The missions aimed to disrupt the Houthis' weapons supply chain and degrade their ability to operate through strategic maritime and aerial routes.
Conflicts & Cuisines with Seth J. Frantzman and Erica Schachne - episode 6
According to Sabti, “In the past two days, Iranian media outlets have been saturated with this ‘success story.’
To the Iranian leadership that "funds, arms, and operates the Houthi terrorist organization: the era of proxies is over, and the axis of evil has collapsed."
Katz says Israel will do to Iran what it did to Hezbollah • Israel strikes south Lebanon • If Israel doesn't wake up, US will advance Saudi deal without it
In the past, Oman has successfully facilitated several deals to release American hostages held by the Houthis, former US Ambassador to Oman Sievers tells the Post.
This follows President Donald Trump's Tuesday announcement that the US would stop bombing the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, saying that the group had agreed to stop attacking US ships.