5 Things to Know About the Houthis, Their Attacks on Israel and the U.S., and Their Treatment of Yemen’s Jews

The Houthis are an extremist Shia-Islamist movement and terrorist army.  Backed by Iran, this organization controls approximately one-third of Yemen’s territory and more than two-thirds of the country’s population. It has emerged as a prominent player in the Israel-Hamas war, which began on October 7 with a mass murder attack by Hamas on Israelis.

Since late 2023, Houthi terrorists have fired near daily ballistic missiles and suicide drones at Israel and ships in the Red Sea – most of them intercepted by Israel’s multi-layered air defense system or U.S. warships in the Red Sea – and have violated international maritime law by hijacking commercial ships sailing in the Red Sea, posing a direct threat to international shipping and the global economy. 

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The conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen has intensified, marked by missile and drone attacks on Israel and retaliatory airstrikes on Houthi-controlled infrastructure. The Houthis have launched hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel in recent months, with notable incidents including a December 18 missile strike that destroyed a school in Ramat Gan and a deadly July 19 drone attack on an apartment building in Tel Aviv. These attacks, often involving Iranian-made weapons, highlight Tehran's role in supporting the Houthis’ operations.

In response, Israel and the U.S. have conducted multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi assets. On December 21, U.S. forces struck a rocket storage facility and command sites following a missile attack on Tel Aviv, while the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have repeatedly targeted ports, power stations, and oil reserves to cripple the Houthis’ military capabilities. On December 26, the IDF launched another major airstrike, hitting Sana’a International Airport, key power stations, and western ports like Al-Hudaydah, aiming to disrupt the Houthis' ability to wage attacks and further destabilize the region.

1. Who are the Houthis?

Made up of members of Yemen’s Shia-Zaidi minority group in the Saada district of northern Yemen, the Houthis have gained considerable power and influence over the last several years amid the ongoing civil war in Yemen. They are receiving Iranian funding, weapons, and training, posing a growing challenge to regional stability and global security.

According to the Alma Research and Education Center, initially a neglected group, the Houthis capitalized on the Arab Spring's momentum in the early 2010s to strengthen their position. By the end of 2014, they had taken control of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and by February 2015, they declared control over the country. This power shift was supported by Iranian influence and aid from Iran’s Lebanese terror proxy, Hezbollah.

The Houthi movement is led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, who assumed leadership after the death of his brother and founder, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, in 2004. Abdul-Malik serves as the group's spiritual and political leader, shaping its ideology and strategies. Hussein had initially established the movement to address the marginalization of Yemen’s Zaidi Shia community, and his death marked a shift toward militarization. Other key figures include Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a senior political leader and member of the Supreme Political Council, and Abdul-Karim al-Houthi, who oversees political and organizational efforts.

The movement also relies on influential military commanders like Yusuf al-Madani, who directs significant military operations. Leadership within the Houthis is rooted in the al-Houthi clan and supported by tribal alliances and religious scholars. While originally focused on Zaidi Shia issues, the Houthis have broadened their base and ideology, becoming a major political and military force in Yemen's ongoing conflict.

2. Who finances and arms the Houthis? 

Iran has played a central role in financing and arming the Houthis, turning them into a powerful and destabilizing force in the region. Tehran's support includes providing advanced weaponry such as ballistic missiles, drones, and cruise missiles, as well as facilitating training through operatives from Hezbollah, its proxy in Lebanon. This assistance has enabled the Houthis to expand their military capabilities and challenge the Saudi-led Sunni Muslim coalition that has intervened in Yemen to support its internationally recognized government.

The rivalry between Iran, a Shia-majority Persian state, and Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Arab powerhouse and guardian of Islam's two holiest cities—Mecca and Medina—has been a key driver of regional tensions. Although the two nations restored diplomatic relations in early 2023, Saudi Arabia remains deeply concerned about Iran's ambitions, including its nuclear program and its support for militant groups across the Middle East. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition in Yemen to counter the Iranian-backed Houthis, viewing their rise as a direct threat to Gulf stability and Sunni dominance in the region. Iran's backing of the Houthis thus serves as a broader strategy to extend its influence and challenge Saudi hegemony in the Arabian Peninsula.

3. How powerful are the Houthis?

4. What threat do the Houthis pose to Israel and the world and why are Houthis attacking ships in the Red Sea?

The Houthis pose a significant threat to regional and global stability due to Yemen's strategic location, particularly its control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. This critical chokepoint facilitates global commerce, including approximately 19,000 vessels annually—30% of global container traffic—and 10% of the world's seaborne oil. Disruptions in this area could have severe implications for trade and energy supplies, impacting economies worldwide.

The Houthis' actions, including missile attacks on Israel and hijacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea, reflect their ambitions to project power beyond Yemen's borders. Their leadership has explicitly threatened to target all ships bound for Israel, regardless of their origin, heightening risks to maritime security. Israel’s southern city of Eilat, a vital trade hub on the Red Sea, is particularly vulnerable. The group’s aggressive stance, coupled with its alignment with Iran, underscores an expansionist agenda that threatens not only regional players like Israel and Saudi Arabia but also the stability of critical global trade routes.

5. What do the Houthis want?

The Houthi movement's ideology is deeply rooted in antisemitic, Islamic fundamentalist, anti-American sentiment, as reflected in the slogan on its flag: “Allah is great, death to the USA, death to Israel, curse the Jews, victory to Islam.” This extremist stance aligns with Iranian interests and suggests a broader objective of promoting Iran’s radical Islamist revolution throughout the Middle East. 

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have been associated with antisemitic rhetoric and actions, raising concerns for the country's tiny remaining Jewish community. While the majority of Yemen's Jewish population, which once totaled 50,000, had left decades ago, the small amount that has remained has come under increasing persecution which started under former President Ali Abdullah Saleh but intensified under the Houthis, including the imprisonment of Levi Marhabi, who has been held by the Houthis since 2016, according to a United Nations report released in 2022. Additionally, the Houthis have also targeted other religious minorities, including Christians and members of the Baha’i community. 

The Houthis want to control the region and often disrupt Yemen's stability and neighboring countries' security. They pose a major challenge in the Middle East, getting support from Iran and following an ideology that aims to reshape the region through destruction and warfare.

6. What is the U.S. Stance on the Houthis? 

The Biden administration re-designated the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity on January 17th.