Who are the Houthis? A simple guide to the Yemeni group

An intensified United States bombing campaign of Yemen began on Saturday night, potentially reigniting a crisis that had cooled with the onset of the ceasefire in Gaza.

The Houthis had stopped attacking ships in the Red Sea in January, after the ceasefire began in Gaza, but vowed in early March to restart attacks on Israeli ships if Israel did not lift a blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave.Who are the Houthis?
The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah (supporters of God), are an armed group that control most parts of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and some of the western and northern areas close to Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis emerged in the 1990s but rose to international prominence in 2014, when the group rebelled against Yemen’s government, forcing it to step down and sparking a crippling humanitarian crisis.The group then spent years, with Iran’s backing, fighting a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia. The two warring sides have also repeatedly tried to hold peace talks.

However, analysts say the Shia group should not be seen as an Iranian proxy. It has its own base, its own interests – and its own ambitions.

What’s the status of Yemen’s civil war?
Yemen has been in a decade-long civil war as the Houthis maintain control of parts of the country, including the capital Sanaa. The group has been in ceasefire talks with Saudi Arabia while Yemen’s official government is based in Aden and led by President Rashad al-Alimi.

Al-Alimi came into office in 2022 after the country’s exiled president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi ceded power to him. Relations between Hadi and the Houthis were especially fraught.

The conflict has largely been frozen since 2022, though there have been some troop movements and skirmishes in the interim.

However, 19.5 million people – 56 percent of Yemen’s 35 million population – are still in dire need of humanitarian assistance in 2025, an increase of more than 1 million people from the previous year.Why were the Houthis attacking Red Sea ships?
The Houthis said their attacks on commercial and military ships with potential Israeli links were primarily aimed at pressuring Israel to end its war on Gaza. On November 18, 2023, the group took over a cargo ship called the Galaxy Leader, which they have since turned into a tourist attraction for Yemenis.

“We have emphasised to everyone that [the Houthi] operations are to support the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and that we cannot stand idly by in the face of the aggression and siege,” Houthi chief negotiator and spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam told Al Jazeera in December 2023.The Houthis also conducted numerous attempted missile and drone attacks on Israel, some of which were successful.

In response to the Houthi attacks, the US, UK and Israel have all conducted their own bombing of Yemen, killing dozens of people. In January 2024, the US and the UK began attacking Houthi targets in Yemen, and Israel has also carried out its own strikes.

These attacks stopped following the beginning of the ceasefire in January, but the US restarted its bombing campaign on Saturday. “To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!” US President Donald Trump said in a social media post.

For their part, the Houthis have been demanding that Israel allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

On March 7, Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi set a four day deadline for that to happen, otherwise he said the group would start blocking Israeli ships from going into the Red and Arabian Seas.

The Houthis also conducted numerous attempted missile and drone attacks on Israel, some of which were successful.

In response to the Houthi attacks, the US, UK and Israel have all conducted their own bombing of Yemen, killing dozens of people. In January 2024, the US and the UK began attacking Houthi targets in Yemen, and Israel has also carried out its own strikes.

These attacks stopped following the beginning of the ceasefire in January, but the US restarted its bombing campaign on Saturday. “To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!” US President Donald Trump said in a social media post.

For their part, the Houthis have been demanding that Israel allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

On March 7, Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi set a four day deadline for that to happen, otherwise he said the group would start blocking Israeli ships from going into the Red and Arabian Seas.