Houthi Insurgency In Yemen Combatants, They battled Yemen’s central government for years before sweeping down from their northern stronghold in Yemen and seizing the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Saleh’s support for the United States’ war on terrorism and 2003 invasion of Iraq prompted anger from the movement’s sympathizers, who believed Saleh was supporting… Who are Yemen’s Houthi rebels? The Houthi rebels are one of two main factions controlling territory amidst Yemen’s ongoing civil war. The article argues that overlapping processes of elite co-option, repression and legitimation helped the Houthi movement manage relations with domestic The Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen is an ongoing armed conflict between the Yemeni government, the United States and their allies, and al-Qaeda -affiliated groups in Yemen. He adds however, that present-day Yemen remains a divided nation, with anti-Houthi resistance persisting in pockets of north-eastern Yemen, Maarib, Taiz and the southern governates. The analysis demonstrates that the Houthi high mobilising and military capacity, the external support of the former ruler of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh, and, most importantly, the low capacity of The Yemeni government has fought an insurgency in the north of Yemen against a group called the Shabab al Moumineen, (Believing Youth) since 2004. The Houthi movement began in the 1990s as a reaction to rising Saudi financial and religious influence. 3, 2014 file photo. The war has killed thousands of Yemenis, including combatants as well as civilians, and has significantly damaged the country’s infrastructure. This chapter provides an overview of Yemen’s modern history, explains the emergence and development of al-Qa'ida and the Islamic State in Yemen, assesses their respective goals, strategies and success, and examines how the Houthi insurgency In January 2015, a group of rebels known as the "Houthi" toppled the government of Yemen after eleven years of armed struggle. The insurgency is portrayed by the Yemeni government in the press as a localized phenomenon led by the single al Houthi family and state that their ranks have been decimated by near-continuous fighting. [101] The group has been a central player in Yemen's civil war, drawing widespread international condemnation for its Both claim to constitute the official government of Yemen. The Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi forces in the Arabian Peninsula, including the southern Saudi regions of Asir, Jizan, and Najran, and northern Yemeni governorates of Saada, Al Jawf, and Hajjah, since the onset of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been transformed from a local armed group with limited capabilities to a powerful military organization with support from Iran, Iraqi armed groups, Lebanon’s During the Gaza war, Houthi militia forces have emerged as the most risk-acceptant member of Iran's "axis of resistance" and a demonstrated menace to international freedom of navigation. A major consequence of the war is to push the Houthis and Iran and Hezbollah closer together. air forces. Yemen's Houthi rebels, who were threatened with an air and naval blockade by Israel on Tuesday, are one of Iran's few allies still standing since the Gaza war spilled across the Middle East. Nov 18, 2025 · Houthi militias are not only attacking Israel, but also ships in the Red Sea - and thus international trade. 3 The Houthi rebels constitute one of the primary factions in control of territory amidst Yemen’s persistent civil strife, currently holding sway over the west coast, including the capital city of Sana’a. This chapter examines jihadi militancy and the Houthi insurgency in Yemen in their historical contexts. That's according to comments from the rebels Friday. Territory controlled by the Houthis, as of March 2025 Since their takeover in September 2014, the Houthis, a Zaydi Shia revivalist political and military organization, have maintained de facto governance over significant portions of northern and western Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa. Houthi propaganda plays to the line that Yemen is under attack by a Saudi-American-Israeli conspiracy. experts say Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been transformed from a local armed group with limited capabilities to a powerful military organization with support from Iran, Iraqi armed groups, Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants and others. Their administration, the Supreme Political Council, operates in opposition to the internationally Since Israel intensified its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been quick to show they're an important player in the complex conflicts convulsing the Middle East.