Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis fired missiles at Israel as the Middle East conflict widens, the group announced on Saturday. The Israeli military had earlier reported detecting a missile from Yemen.
The Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah (Supporters of God), is one side of the Yemeni civil war. It was founded in the 1990s by Hussein al-Houthi, who launched the “Believing Youth” religious revival movement for the Zaidi sect of Shia Islam.
The Zaidis, who ruled Yemen for centuries, were marginalized under a Sunni regime after the 1962 civil war. Al-Houthi’s movement emerged to represent Zaidis and resist radical Sunnism, particularly Wahhabi ideas from Saudi Arabia.
Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when Houthi forces took over the capital Sanaa, toppling the Saudi-backed government. The conflict escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition intervened to counter the Houthis.
A ceasefire was signed in 2022 but lapsed after six months. However, the warring parties have not returned to full-scale conflict.
The Houthis are supported by Iran, which increased aid to the group as the civil war intensified and its rivalry with Saudi Arabia grew. Iran has supplied the Houthis with weapons, technology, including sea mines, ballistic missiles, and drones.
The Houthis are part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” an anti-Israel and anti-Western alliance of regional militias backed by Iran.
American officials have observed improvements in the range, accuracy, and lethality of the Houthis’ domestically produced missiles. Initially, Houthi weapons were assembled with Iranian components smuggled into Yemen.
The Houthis have used drones and anti-ship missiles to target commercial ships, leading the USS Carney warship in the Red Sea to respond to distress calls.
