Houthi movement

The Houthi movement^[a] (/ˈhuːθi/; Arabic: ٱلْحُوثِيُّون al-Ḥūthīyūn [al.ħuː.θiː.juːn]), officially called Ansar Allah (ʾAnṣār Allāh أَنْصَار ٱللَّٰه "Supporters of God") and simply known as Houthis, is an Islamist political and armed movement. It began in Saada in Northern Yemen in the 1990s. The Houthi movement is a Zaidi Shia majority force.^[3]

Ansar Allah
أَنْصَار ٱللَّٰه
Logo of the Houthi movement
Leaders	Hussein al-Houthi † Abdul-Malik al-Houthi
Spokesperson	Mohammed Abdul Salam
Dates of operation	1994–present
Allegiance	Axis of Resistance
Headquarters	Saada, Yemen
Active regions	Yemen
Ideology	Zaydism Islamism Islamic Revolution Shia–Sunni unity Social justice Yemeni nationalism Arab nationalism Pan-Arabism Irredentism Populism Anti-imperialism Anti-Sunnism Anti-Americanism (slogan reads "Death to America") Antisemitism (slogan reads "A Curse Upon the Jews") Anti-Westernism Anti-Zionism Khomeinism
Political position	Left-wing
Battles and wars	Houthi insurgency in Yemen Yemeni Revolution Yemeni Civil War Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict 2023 Israel–Hamas war 2024 missile strikes against Yemen
Designated as a terrorist group by	Yemen (UN recognised government only) Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Malaysia  United States[1]  United Kingdom [2]

Under the leadership of Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, the group was an opposition to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh and participated in the Yemeni Revolution,^[4] while being allied with regional Islamist militant groups like the Hamas^[5][6] and Hezbollah.

History

Further information: Houthi attacks in 2024

Since October 2023, the Houthis have been engaged in the Red Sea Crisis.

2024

On January 6, Houthi launched an attack on the USS Laboon, a destroyer in the United States Navy. Three days later on January 9, Houthi launched a series of drones and missiles at dozens of merchant ships, which caused the United States navy and United Kingdom's navy to respond. On January 14, the Houthis again launched an attack on the USS Laboon.^[7] On January 15, Houthi launched an attack and struck the Marshall Islands-flagged, United States-owned and operated bulk carrier Gibraltar Eagle.^[8] On January 17, Houthi launched a one-way suicide drone and struck the Marshall Islands-flagged, United States-owned and operated bulk carrier Genco Picardy in the Gulf of Aden.^[9][10]

Notes

1. The group rejects the term "Houthi"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' and prefers the term "Ansar Allah."