The Iran-backed Houthis of Yemen have emerged as a significant force in the Middle East. The rebel group is rooted in a sub-sect of the Shia Muslim minority known as the Zaidis. They have waged war against the government for nearly a decade.
While their initial conflict was domestic, recent developments have escalated their reach into global affairs, drawing the attention of international powers like the United States and Russia.
Merchant of Death: Putin’s Arms Dealer Back in Business Amid Middle Eastern Conflict – USA Herald
Who Are the Houthis?
The Houthi movement began in the 1990s, formed to combat what its leaders saw as the corruption of Yemen’s then-president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The group took its name from Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, a Zaidi religious leader. Over time, their resistance to Saleh’s regime grew into a more organized rebellion.
By 2003, Saleh, with backing from Saudi Arabia’s military, launched efforts to suppress the Houthis, but the rebels proved resilient.
The conflict escalated in 2014, when the Houthis initiated a civil war against Yemen’s national government.
