What to know about the Houthis in Yemenpublished at 11:03 BST
11:03 BST
Image source, EPA/ShutterstockImage caption,
Houthi supporters attend a protest in Sanaa against Saudi Arabia amid an escalation in fighting, 9 October
Who are the Houthis?
The Houthis are an Iran-backed armed political and Shia Muslim religious group from northern Yemen. They align themselves with the Iran-led “axis of resistance” against Israel, the US and the wider West – along with groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
They emerged in the 1990s, and are led by Abdul Malik al-Houthi. They want to topple the internationally-backed government of Yemen.
The group now controls somewhere between a quarter and a third of Yemen’s territory and 70-80% of its population.
Why are they fighting Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia is a rival of Iran. It feared that the Houthis would take Yemen over and make it an Iranian satellite state.
So, in 2015 it formed a coalition of Arab countries – supported by the US – that intervened on behalf of Yemen’s internationally-recognised government.
Over years, Saudi Arabia has launched air strikes and the Houthis have sent drones and missiles, but the Saudis have been unable to dislodge the Houthis from most of the territory they’ve seized. Fighting has led to a major humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Why has fighting escalated?
An informal ceasefire had been in place between the the Saudi-led coalition (which backs the internationally recognised Yemeni government) and the Houthi movement since March 2022.
It’s since degraded. After the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas, the Houthis began firing drones and missiles at Israel. The group said it was in support of Palestinians.
In July, the Houthis announced a “maritime embargo” against Saudi Arabia, renewing missile and drone attacks on its ports and oil sites.
They said they were retaliating for what the Houthis say is a years-long Saudi blockade, and for an air strike on Sanaa airport.
It’s flared up further in recent weeks, after the rebel group seized large stretches of the Red Sea coast in a surprise September attack. Saudi Arabia launched air strikes in response.