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{{about|the religious-political-armed movement|the tribe in northern Yemen|Houthi tribe|other uses of ''Ansar Allah''|Ansar Allah (disambiguation){{!}}Ansar Allah}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Infobox war faction
|name= Houthi movement<br>{{nobold|{{lang|ar|الحوثيون}}}}<hr>Ansar Allah<br>{{nobold|{{lang|ar|أنصار الله}}}}
|war= [[Houthi insurgency in Yemen]], the [[Yemeni Revolution]], the [[Yemeni Crisis]], the [[Yemeni civil war (2015–present)|Yemeni Civil War]], the [[Saudi-led intervention in Yemen (2015–present)|Saudi-led intervention in Yemen]] and the [[Conflict in Najran, Jizan and Asir]]
|image= [[File:Ansarullah Flag Vector.svg|250px]]
|caption= [[Flag of Houthis|Houthi flag]] reading ''"[[Takbir|God is the Greatest]], [[Death to America]], [[Death to Israel]], Curse on the [[Jews]], Victory to [[Islam]]"''.
|active= 1994–present <br><small>(armed since 2004)</small>
| ideology= [[Zaidiyyah|Zaydi Revivalism]]<ref>{{cite web|title= What is the Houthi Movement?|publisher= Tony Blair Faith Foundation|url= http://tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/religion-geopolitics/commentaries/backgrounder/what-houthi-movement|date= 25 September 2014|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20141006141708/http://tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/religion-geopolitics/commentaries/backgrounder/what-houthi-movement|archivedate= 6 October 2014|deadurl= no}}</ref><br>[[Anti-imperialism]]<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.presstv.com/detail/2014/01/13/345317/houthis-fighting-western-imperialism/|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140113085702/http://presstv.com/detail/2014/01/13/345317/houthis-fighting-western-imperialism/|dead-url= yes|archive-date= 2014-01-13|title= Houthis are fighting "Western Imperialism"|newspaper= PressTV}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= http://rt.com/op-edge/245585-us-yemen-policies-middle-east/|title= Will Yemen kick off the ''War of the two Blocks?'|newspaper= Russia Today}}</ref><ref name="Yemen in crisis">{{cite news|url= http://www.esquireme.com/brief/news/is-yemen-on-the-brink-of-economic-meltdown-and-civil-war/|title = Yemen in crisis|newspaper= Esquire|first= Alex|last= Plotter|date= 4 June 2015|accessdate= 5 September 2015}}</ref><br>[[Anti-Zionism]]<ref name="Yemen in crisis"/><br>[[Antisemitism]]<ref name="nyt" /> (officially denied)<small>
|leaders=
* [[Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi]]{{KIA}}
* [[Abdul-Malik al-Houthi]]
|headquarters=[[Sa'dah]] and [[Sana'a]] [[Yemen]]
|spokesperson=Mohammed Abdul Salam<ref>https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/mohammed-abdul-salam-denies-news-in-saudi-channel/</ref>
|area=
* [[Yemen]]
* [[Saudi Arabia]]
| strength = 100,000 (2011)<ref>Almasmari, Hakim. "[http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/27/world/meast/yemen-clashes/index.html Medics: Militants raid Yemen town, killing dozens]", [[CNN]], 27 November 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=4393&MainCat=3 Houthis Kill 24 in North Yemen], 27 November 2011.</ref>
| allies='''State allies'''
* {{YEM}} ([[Supreme Political Council]])<ref>http://breakingnews.sy/ar/article/101356.html</ref>
* {{IRN}} (alleged, denied by Iran)<ref name=Iran_support/>
* {{QAT}} (alleged<ref name="offensive"/>, denied by Qatar<ref>https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171204-qatar-denies-mediating-houthi-saleh-rift/</ref>)
* {{SYR}} (alleged)<ref>{{cite news|url= http://aranews.net/2015/03/syrian-regime-coordinates-military-training-with-yemeni-houthis|title= Syrian regime coordinates military training with Yemeni Houthis|publisher= ARA News|date= 9 March 2015|accessdate = 9 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{PRK}} (alleged)<ref name="Korea">{{cite news|url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samuel-ramani/north-koreas-balancing-ac_b_7995688.html|date= 17 August 2015|accessdate= 17 August 2015|title= North Korea's Balancing Act in the Persian Gulf|agency= The Huffington Post|quote= "North Korea's military support for Houthi rebels in Yemen is the latest manifestation of its support for anti-American forces."}}</ref>
*{{OMN}} (alleged by unnamed officials and pro-Saudi chief of army staff in Yemen<ref name="Oman 01">{{cite news|url= https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/ru/contents/articles/originals/2016/10/oman-neutral-saudi-war-iran-houthis.html|date= 12 October 2016|accessdate= 17 October 2018|title= Just how neutral is Oman in Yemen war?|agency= AL-MONITOR|quote=  Just how neutral is Oman in Yemen war?"}}</ref><ref name="Oman 02">{{cite news|url= http://www.mei.edu/content/article/oman-s-high-stakes-yemen|date= 06 July 2017|accessdate= 17 October 2018|title= Yemen War and Qatar Crisis Challenge Oman’s Neutrality|agency= Middle East Institute|quote=  “Yemen War and Qatar Crisis Challenge Oman’s Neutrality"}}</ref>, denied by Oman who claims to be neutral negotiator<ref name="Oman 03">{{cite news|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/07/22/oman-is-a-mediator-in-yemen-can-it-play-the-same-role-in-qatar/|date= 22 July 2017|accessdate= 17 October 2018|title= Oman is a mediator in Yemen. Can it play the same role in Qatar?|agency= The Washington Post|quote=  “Oman is a mediator in Yemen. Can it play the same role in Qatar?"}}</ref><ref>http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/oman-denies-arms-smuggled-through-border-houthis-1610957718</ref>)
*{{RUS}}<ref>http://www.ibtimes.com/putins-latest-moves-military-alliance-among-iran-hezbollah-russia-syria-could-spread-2113386</ref>
*{{ERI}} (alleged, denied by Eritrea)<ref>http://www.worldbulletin.net/m/haber/152737/houthi-rise-in-yemen-raises-alarm-in-horn-of-africa</ref>
*{{IRQ}} (alleged)<ref>https://marebpress.net/nprint.php?lng=arabic&sid=109003</ref>
'''Non-state allies'''
* {{flagicon image|General People's Congress flag.svg}} [[General People's Congress (Yemen)|General People's Congress]] (pro-Saleh faction, 2014–17;<ref name=Iran_support/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2017/12/03/Yemen-s-General-People-s-Congress-calls-for-uniting-against-Iranian-project-.html|title=Yemen's General People's Congress calls for 'uniting against Iranian project'|website=English.AlArabiya.net|access-date=1 January 2018}}</ref> pro-Houthi faction from 2017)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/when-leader-dies-how-yemen-gpc-fell-apart-after-murder-saleh-tareq-saudi-uae-aden-sanaa-1966816018 |title=Death of a leader: Where next for Yemen’s GPC after murder of Saleh? |work=[[Middle East Eye]] |date=23 January 2018 |accessdate=31 May 2018}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|InfoboxHez.PNG}} [[Hezbollah]] (alleged)<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.617924|title= Source: Hezbollah, Iran helping Hawthi rebels boost control of Yemen's capital|publisher= Haaretz|date= 27 September 2014|accessdate= 31 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="Najran">{{cite news|url= http://atimes.com/2015/10/how-saudi-arabias-aggressive-foreign-policy-is-playing-against-itself/|agency= Asia Times|title= How Saudi Arabia's aggressive foreign policy is playing against itself|first= Salman|last= Rafi|date= 2 October 2015|accessdate= 23 January 2016}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Shiism arabic blue.PNG}} [[Ahrar al-Najran|Ahrar al-Najran Movement]] (allied themselves with Houthis and allies against [[Saudi Arabia]] and [[Hadi]]-led [[Yemen]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mintpressnews.com/houthi-rebels-invade-southern-saudi-arabia-launch-ballistic-missile-counter-offensive/218846/|title=Houthi Rebels Invade Southern Saudi Arabia, Launch Ballistic Missile Counter-Offensive|date=26 July 2016|website=MintPressNews.com|access-date=1 January 2018}}</ref>)
*{{flagdeco|Yemen}} Pro-Houthi [[Popular Committees (Yemen)|Popular Committees]]<ref>https://www.ispionline.it/en/pubblicazione/yemens-military-tribal-army-warlords-19919</ref>
*{{flagicon image|Single Color Flag - ffd700.png}} [[Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba]] (alleged, denied)<ref>https://al-ain.com/article/iran-houthi-terrorism</ref>
|opponents='''State opponents'''
* {{flag|Yemen}} ([[Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi|Hadi government]])
* {{flag|Saudi Arabia|size=22px}}
* {{flag|United States}}<ref name=":2" /><ref name="m.jpost.com">{{cite web|url=http://m.jpost.com/Opinion/Yemens-Houthis-New-members-of-Irans-anti-Israelianti-American-axis-494170|title=Yemen's Houthis: New members of Iran's anti-Israeli/anti-American axis|website=JPost.com|access-date=1 January 2018}}</ref>
* {{ISR}}<ref>https://m.jpost.com/Opinion/Yemens-Houthis-New-members-of-Irans-anti-Israelianti-American-axis-494170</ref>
* {{ARE}}<ref name="offensive"/>
* {{BHR}}<ref name="offensive">{{cite news|url= https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/saudi-arabia-has-150000-troops-for-yemen-operation-report/article23628188/|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150326221558/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/saudi-arabia-has-150000-troops-for-yemen-operation-report/article23628188/|dead-url= yes|archive-date= 26 March 2015|agency= the globe and mail|title= Egypt, Jordan, Sudan and Pakistan ready for ground offensive in Yemen: report|date= 26 March 2015|accessdate= 26 March 2015}}</ref>
* {{EGY}}<ref name="offensive"/><ref name="cnn">{{cite news|url= http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/25/middleeast/yemen-unrest/|agency= CNN|title= Saudi Arabia launches airstrikes in Yemen|date= 26 March 2015|accessdate= 25 March 2015}}</ref>
|active2=
| designated_as_terror_group_by = {{flagu|Saudi Arabia}}<ref>https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-security/saudi-arabia-designates-muslim-brotherhood-terrorist-group-idUSBREA260SM20140307</ref><br>{{flagu|United Arab Emirates}}<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20141117230142/http://www.wam.ae/ar/news/emirates-arab-international/1395272465559.html</ref>
}}

The '''Houthi movement''' ({{lang-ar|الحوثيون}} ''al-Ḥūthiyyūn'' {{IPA-ar|ˈħuːθij.juːn|IPA}}), officially called '''Ansar Allah''' (''{{transl|ar|[[:wikt:نصر|anṣār]] [[Allah|allāh]]}}'' {{lang|ar|أنصار الله}} "Supporters of God"), is an Islamic religious-political-armed movement that emerged from [[Sa'dah]] in northern [[Yemen]] in the 1990s. They are of the [[Zaidiyyah|Zaidi]] sect, and are predominantly [[Zaidi]]-[[Shia]]-led, though the movement reportedly also includes [[Sunni Islam|Sunnis]].<ref name=":4">{{cite web|url=https://globalvoices.org/2015/04/01/debunking-media-myths-about-the-houthis-in-war-torn-yemen/|title=Debunking Media Myths About the Houthis in War-Torn Yemen · Global Voices|date=1 April 2015|website=GlobalVoices.org|access-date=1 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29319423|title=Yemen crisis: Who is fighting whom?|date=2018|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-07-05|language=en-GB}}</ref>

Under the leadership of [[Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi]], the group emerged as a Zaydi opposition to former Yemeni president [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]], whom they charged with massive financial corruption and criticized for being backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States<ref name=":2" /> at the expense of the Yemeni people<ref name=":5" /> and Yemen's sovereignty.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/briefly/2015/02/12/5-things-houthis-yemen/|title=5 Things to Know About the Houthis of Yemen|last=Streuly|first=Dick|date=2015-02-12|website=WSJ|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-04}}</ref> Resisting Saleh's order for his arrest,<ref name="IRIN" /> Hussein was killed in [[Sa'dah]] in 2004 along with a number of his guards by the Yemeni army, sparking the [[Houthi insurgency in Yemen]].<ref name=":4">{{cite web|url=https://globalvoices.org/2015/04/01/debunking-media-myths-about-the-houthis-in-war-torn-yemen/|title=Debunking Media Myths About the Houthis in War-Torn Yemen · Global Voices|date=1 April 2015|website=GlobalVoices.org|access-date=1 January 2018}}</ref> Since then, except for a short intervening period, the movement has been led by his brother [[Abdul-Malik al-Houthi]].<ref name="IRIN" />

The Houthi movement attracts its Zaidi-Shia followers in Yemen by promoting regional political-religious issues in its media, including the overarching [[Conspiracy theories in the Arab world|US-Israeli conspiracy]] and Arab "collusion".<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news|title= An Interview With President Ali Abdullah Saleh|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/28/world/middleeast/28saleh-interview.html|accessdate= 15 October 2016|agency= NyTimes}}</ref><ref name="alaraby">{{cite news|title= Houthi propaganda: following in Hizbullah's footsteps|url= https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2015/4/12/houthi-propaganda-following-in-hizballahs-footsteps|accessdate= 15 October 2016|agency= alaraby|publisher= alaraby|ref= houthis_slogan}}</ref> In 2003, the Houthis' slogan "God is great, death to the US, death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory for Islam", became the group's trademark.<ref name="alaraby" /> Houthi officials, however, have rejected the literal interpretation of the slogan.<ref name=":3" />

The movement's expressed goals include combating economic underdevelopment and political marginalization in Yemen while seeking greater autonomy for Houthi-majority regions of the country.<ref name="JUNEAU">{{cite journal|last1= JUNEAU|first1= THOMAS|title= Iran's policy towards the Houthis in Yemen: a limited return on a modest investment|journal= International Affairs|date= May 2016|volume= 92|issue= 3|pages= 647–663|doi= 10.1111/1468-2346.12599}}</ref> They also claim to support a more democratic non-sectarian republic in Yemen.<ref name=":0" /> The Houthis have made fighting corruption the centerpiece of their political program.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2017/12/18/who-are-the-houthis-and-why-are-we-at-war-with-them/|title=Who are the Houthis, and why are we at war with them?|author-link=Bruce Riedel|last=Riedel|first=Bruce|date=2017-12-18|work=[[Brookings Institution]]|access-date=2018-06-12|language=en-US}}</ref>

The Houthis took part in the [[2011 Yemeni Revolution]] by participating in street protests and by coordinating with [[Political parties in Yemen|other opposition groups]]. They joined the [[National Dialogue Conference]] in Yemen as part of the [[Gulf Cooperation Council]] (GCC) initiative to broker peace following the unrest. However, the Houthis would later reject the November 2011 GCC deal's provisions stipulating formation of six federal regions in Yemen, claiming that the deal did not fundamentally reform governance and that the proposed federalization "divided Yemen into poor and wealthy regions". Houthis also feared the deal was a blatant attempt to weaken them by dividing areas under their control between separate regions.<ref name="JUNEAU" /> In late 2014 Houthis repaired their relationship with the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, and with his help, they [[Houthi takeover in Yemen|took control of the capital]] and much of the north.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hrw.org/middle-east/n-africa/yemen|title=Yemen|last1=HRW|accessdate=15 October 2016|agency=HRW}}</ref>

In 2014–2015 [[Houthi takeover in Yemen|Houthis took over the government]] in [[Sana'a]] with the help of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and announced the fall of the current government of [[Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi]].<ref name="government">{{cite news|url= http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/02/yemen-houthi-rebels-announce-presidential-council-150206122736448.html|title= Yemen's Houthis form own government in Sanaa|date= 6 February 2015|accessdate= 7 February 2015|agency= Al Jazeera}}</ref><ref name="Islam Hassan">{{cite web|url= https://www.academia.edu/12696782/GCCs_2014_Crisis_Causes_Issues_and_Solutions|title= GCC's 2014 Crisis: Causes, Issues and Solutions|author= Islam Hassan|date= 31 March 2015|publisher= Al Jazeera Research Center |accessdate= 4 June 2015}}</ref> Houthis have gained control of most of the northern part of Yemen's territory and since 2015 have been resisting [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen]] that claims to seek to restore the internationally recognized Yemeni government<ref>{{cite news|title= International Support to Yemen's Legitimate Government|url= https://eng-archive.aawsat.com/jordan/news-middle-east/international-support-yemens-legitimate-government|accessdate= 15 October 2016|agency= aawsat}}</ref> to power. Additionally, the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|Islamic State]] militant group has attacked all of the conflict's major parties including Houthis, Saleh forces, the Yemeni government, and the Saudi Arabian-led coalition forces.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://news.yahoo.com/yemen-govt-vows-stay-aden-despite-bombings-102423218.html|title= Yemen govt vows to stay in Aden despite IS bombings|date= 7 October 2015|work= Yahoo News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/arab-coalition-faces-new-islamic-state-foe-in-yemen-conflict-1229476|title= Arab Coalition Faces New Islamic State Foe in Yemen Conflict|author= Agence France-Presse|date= 7 October 2015|work= NDTV.com}}</ref>

==History==
{{see also|History of Yemen|Houthi insurgency in Yemen|Houthi takeover in Yemen}}
[[File:Yemeni Civil War.svg|thumb|left|Territorial situation in Yemen in 2018. Houthi forces are shown in green.|300px]]

According to Ahmed Addaghashi, a professor at [[Sanaa University]], the Houthis began as a moderate theological movement that preached tolerance and held a broad-minded view of all the Yemeni peoples.<ref name="AlJazIntro">{{cite news|author=Al Batati, Saeed|title=Who are the Houthis in Yemen?|newspaper=Al Jazeera|date=21 August 2014|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/08/yemen-houthis-hadi-protests-201482132719818986.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140823035209/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/08/yemen-houthis-hadi-protests-201482132719818986.html|archivedate=23 August 2014|deadurl=yes}}</ref> Their first organization, "the Believing Youth" (BY), was founded in 1992 in [[Saada Governorate]]<ref name="Freeman2009">{{cite journal|last1=Freeman|first1=Jack|title=The al Houthi Insurgency in the North of Yemen: An Analysis of the Shabab al Moumineen|journal=Studies in Conflict & Terrorism|volume=32|issue=11|year=2009|pages=1008–1019|issn=1057-610X|doi=10.1080/10576100903262716}}</ref>{{rp|1008}} by either [[Mohammed al-Houthi]],<ref name="RAND">{{cite web|url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2010/RAND_MG962.pdf|title=Regime and Periphery in Northern Yemen: The Huthi Phenomenon|publisher=RAND|year=2010|accessdate=23 January 2013}}</ref>{{rp|98}} or his brother [[Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi|Hussein al-Houthi]].<ref name="BBCAbd-al-Malak">{{cite news|title=Yemen's Abd-al-Malik al-Houthi|newspaper=BBC|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/monitoring/yemens-abd-almalik-alhouthi|date=3 October 2014|accessdate=29 November 2014}}</ref>

The Believing Youth established school clubs and summer camps<ref name="RAND"/>{{rp|98}} in order to "promote a [[Zaidiyyah|Zaidi]] revival" in Saada.<ref name="BBCAbd-al-Malak"/> By 1994–1995, 15–20,000 students had attended BY summer camps. The religious material included lectures by Mohammed Hussein Fadhlallah (a Lebanese Shiite scholar) and [[Hassan Nasrallah]] (Secretary General of Lebanon's Hezbollah Party) "<ref name="RAND"/>{{rp|99}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenational.scot/world/profile-the-crisis-in-yemen.1317|title=Profile: The crisis in Yemen|work=thenational.scot}}</ref>

The formation of the Houthi organisations have been described by Adam Baron of the [[European Council on Foreign Relations]] as a reaction to foreign intervention. Their views include shoring up Zaidi support against the perceived threat of Saudi-influenced ideologies in Yemen and a general condemnation of the former Yemeni government's alliance with the United States, which, along with complaints regarding the government's corruption and the marginalisation of much of the Houthis' home areas in Saada, constituted the group's key grievances.<ref name=PoliticoMagazine>{{cite news|author=Adam Baron|url=http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/03/yemen-intervention-116396.html|title=What Went Wrong with Yemen|date=25 March 2015|accessdate=18 September 2015}}</ref>

Although Hussein al-Houthi, who was killed in 2004, had no official relation with Believing Youth, according to Zaid, he contributed to the radicalisation of some Zaydis after the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]]. BY-affiliated youth adopted [[anti-American]] and [[anti-Jewish]] slogans which they chanted in the [[Saleh Mosque]] in [[Sana'a]] after Friday prayers.
According to Zaid, the followers of Houthi's insistence on chanting the slogans attracted the authorities' attention, further increasing government worries over the extent of the al-Houthi movement's influence. "The security authorities thought that if today the Houthis chanted `[[Death to America]]', tomorrow they could be chanting `Death to the president [of Yemen]".
800 BY supporters were arrested in Sana'a in 2004. President [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]] then invited Hussein al-Houthi to a meeting in Sana'a, but Hussein declined. On 18 June 2004 Saleh sent government forces to arrest Hussein.<ref name="IRIN">{{cite web|title=Yemen: The conflict in Saada Governorate – analysis|url=http://www.refworld.org/docid/488f180d1e.html|publisher=IRIN|date=24 July 2008|accessdate=29 November 2014}}</ref> Hussein responded by launching [[Shia insurgency in Yemen|an insurgency]] against the central government but was killed on 10 September 2004.<ref name=":5">{{cite news|title=Yemeni forces kill rebel cleric|date=10 September 2004|newspaper=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3643600.stm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061121091116/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3643600.stm|archivedate=21 November 2006|deadurl=no}}</ref> The insurgency continued intermittently until a ceasefire agreement was reached in 2010.<ref name="AlJazIntro" /> During this prolonged conflict, the Yemeni army and air force was used to suppress the Houthi rebellion in northern Yemen. The Saudis joined these anti-Houthi campaigns but the Houthis won against both Saleh and the Saudi army. According to the [[Brookings Institution]], this particularly humiliated the Saudis, who spent tens of billions of dollars on their military.<ref name=":2" /> 

Later, the Houthis participated in the 2011 [[Yemeni Revolution]], as well as the ensuing [[National Dialogue Conference]] (NDC).<ref>{{cite web|title=The Huthis: From Saada to Sanaa |series=Middle East Report N°154 |publisher=International Crisis Group |date=10 June 2014 |url=http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/middle-east-north-africa/iraq-iran-gulf/yemen/154-the-huthis-from-saada-to-sanaa.aspx |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6XdzKSIiM?url=http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/middle-east-north-africa/iraq-iran-gulf/yemen/154-the-huthis-from-saada-to-sanaa.aspx |archivedate=8 April 2015 |deadurl=no}}</ref> However, they rejected the provisions of the November 2011 [[Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf|Gulf Cooperation Council]] deal on the ground that "it divide[d] Yemen into poor and wealthy regions" and also in response to assassination of their representative at NDC.<ref>{{cite news|title=Yemen Al Houthi rebels slam federation plan as unfair|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/yemen-al-houthi-rebels-slam-federation-plan-as-unfair-1.1289512|accessdate=16 March 2014|newspaper=Gulf News|date=11 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=al-Hassani|first=Mohammed|title=HOUTHI SPOKESPERSON TALKS TO THE YEMEN TIMES|url=http://www.yementimes.com/en/1753/intreview/3454/Houthi-spokesperson-talks-to-the-Yemen-Times.htm|accessdate=16 March 2014|newspaper=Yemen Times|date=6 February 2014}}</ref>

As the revolution went on, Houthis gained control of greater territory. By 9 November 2011, Houthis were said to be in control of two Yemeni governorates (Saada and Al Jawf) and close to taking over a third governorate (Hajjah),<ref>{{cite news|title=Houthis Close to Control Hajjah Governorate, Amid Expectations of Expansion of Control over Large Parts of Northern Yemen |publisher=Islam Times|date=29 November 2011 |url=http://www.islamtimes.org/vdcirrazyt1azq2.ilct.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405064347/http://www.islamtimes.org/vdcirrazyt1azq2.ilct.html |archivedate=5 April 2012 |deadurl=no}}</ref> which would enable them to launch a direct assault on the Yemeni capital of [[Sana'a]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Al-Houthi Expansion Plan in Yemen Revealed|newspaper=Yemen Post |date= 9 November 2011 |url=http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=4288&MainCat=3 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111109115052/http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=4288&MainCat=3 |archivedate=9 November 2011}}</ref> In May 2012, it was reported that the Houthis controlled a majority of Saada, Al Jawf, and Hajjah governorates; they had also gained access to the [[Red Sea]] and started erecting barricades north of Sana'a in preparation for more conflict.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.yobserver.com/front-page/10022057.html|archive-url=https://archive.is/20120919191535/http://www.yobserver.com/front-page/10022057.html|dead-url=yes|archive-date=19 September 2012|title=New war with al-Houthis is looming|publisher=Yemen observer|accessdate=23 January 2013}}</ref>

[[File:President Ali Abdullah Saleh.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Yemen's former president [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]] was allied with Houthis between 2014 until his death in 2017. He was assassinated by the Houthis on charges of treason.]]
By 21 September 2014, Houthis were said to control parts of the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, including government buildings and a radio station.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/09/houthis-control-government-buildings-sanaa-2014921141611393880.html|title=Houthis seize government buildings in Sanaa|publisher=Al Jazeera|accessdate=21 September 2014}}</ref> While Houthi control expanded to the rest of Sana'a, as well as other towns such as [[Rada' District|Rada']], this control was strongly challenged by [[Al-Qaeda]]. It was believed by the Gulf States that the Houthis had accepted aid from Iran while Saudi Arabia was aiding their Yemeni rivals.<ref name=NYT010715>{{cite news|author1=Kareem Fahim|title=Violence Grows in Yemen as Al Qaeda Tries to Fight Its Way Back|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/world/violence-grows-in-yemen-as-al-qaeda-tries-to-fight-its-way-back.html|accessdate=8 January 2015|work=The New York Times|publisher=The Times Company|date=7 January 2015}}</ref>

On 20 January 2015, Houthi rebels seized the [[Presidential Palace (Yemen)|presidential palace]] in the capital. President [[Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi]] was in the presidential palace during the takeover but was not harmed.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-30903516|title=Yemen Houthi rebels 'seize presidential palace'|publisher=BBC News|date=20 January 2015}}</ref> The movement officially took control of the Yemeni government on 6 February, dissolving parliament and declaring its [[Revolutionary Committee (Yemen)|Revolutionary Committee]] to be the acting authority in Yemen.<ref name="government"/> On 20 March 2015, The [[2015 Sana'a mosque bombings|al-Badr and al-Hashoosh mosques came under suicide attack]] during midday prayers, and the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] quickly claimed responsibility. The blasts killed 142 Houthi worshippers and wounded more than 351, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in Yemen's history.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Death toll hits 142 from attacks in Yemen mosques|date=20 March 2015|newspaper=Al Bawaba|url=http://www.albawaba.com/news/two-mosques-yemen-attacked-suicide-bombers-during-friday-prayers-many-injured-671470|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322235853/http://www.albawaba.com/news/two-mosques-yemen-attacked-suicide-bombers-during-friday-prayers-many-injured-671470|archivedate=22 March 2015|deadurl=no}}</ref>

In a televised speech on 22 March, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi accused the US and Israel of supporting the terrorists attacks. He blamed regional Arab states for financing terrorist groups operating inside Yemen.<ref>{{Cite news|title=US, Israel behind Yemen terrorist attacks: Houthi leader|date=22 March 2015|newspaper=Press TV|url=http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/03/22/402979/US-Israel-behind-Yemen-terror-attacks|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6XW8sjVJY?url=http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/03/22/402979/US-Israel-behind-Yemen-terror-attacks|archivedate=3 April 2015|deadurl=no}}</ref> On 27 March 2015, in response to perceived Houthi threats to Sunni factions in the region, Saudi Arabia along with Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Sudan led [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|a gulf coalition airstrike in Yemen]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Saudi 'Decisive Storm' waged to save Yemen|date=26 March 2015|newspaper=Al Arabiya News|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/26/GCC-states-to-repel-Houthi-aggression-in-Yemen-statement-.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402125058/http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/26/GCC-states-to-repel-Houthi-aggression-in-Yemen-statement-.html|archivedate=2 April 2015|deadurl=no}}<span style="color:blue">archive does not retrieve properly, as of 3 April 2015</span></ref> The military coalition included the United States which helped in planning of air strikes, as well as logistical and intelligence support.<ref>{{cite news|title=U.S. Backs Saudi-Led Yemeni Bombing With Logistics, Spying|newspaper=Bloomberg News|author=Keane, Angela Greiling|date=26 March 2015|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-26/yemeni-bombing-led-by-saudis-is-backed-by-u-s-logistics-spying|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6XWA8JIQJ?url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-26/yemeni-bombing-led-by-saudis-is-backed-by-u-s-logistics-spying|archivedate=3 April 2015|deadurl=no}}</ref>

According to a 2015 September report by [[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire magazine]], the Houthis, once the outliers, are now one of the most stable and organised social and political movements in Yemen. The power vacuum created by Yemen's uncertain transitional period has drawn more supporters to the Houthis. Many of the formerly powerful parties, now disorganised with an unclear vision, have fallen out of favour with the public, making the Houthis — under their newly branded Ansar Allah name — all the more attractive.<ref name="Yemen in crisis"/>

Houthi spokesperson Mohamed Abdel Salam stated that his group had spotted messages between UAE and Saleh three months before his death. He told [[Al-Jazeera]] that there was communication between Saleh, UAE and a number of other countries such as Russia and [[Jordan]] through encrypted messages.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://alkhaleejonline.net/articles/1512415225521026500/الحوثيون-رصدنا-رسائل-بين-صالح-وأبوظبي-قبل-3-شهور/ | title= الحوثيون: رصدنا رسائل بين صالح وأبوظبي قبل 3 شهور |date= 4 December 2017|accessdate=5 December 2017|publisher=[[Al Khaleej (newspaper)|Al Khaleej]]|language=Arabic}}</ref> The alliance between Saleh and the Houthi broke down in late 2017,<ref name="AJ_H-S">{{cite news|last1=Edroos|first1=Faisal|title=How did Yemen's Houthi-Saleh alliance collapse?|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/yemen-houthi-saleh-alliance-collapse-171204070831956.html|accessdate=4 December 2017|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=4 December 2017}}</ref> with [[Battle of Sana'a (2017)|armed clashes]] occurring in Sana'a from 28 November.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/violence-escalates-sanaa-saleh-loyalists-battle-houthis/|title=Violence escalates in Sanaa as Saleh loyalists battle Houthis|date=2 December 2017|accessdate=2 December 2017|author=Leith Fadel|publisher=[[Al Masdar News]]}}</ref>
Saleh declared the split in a televised statement on 2 December, calling on his supporters to take back the country<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X11lC8BDI44&lc=z22ojlzyepngupa04acdp433zvtxdtdhhktlzvwbsr1w03c010c.1512423183560266 Yemen: Conflict intensifies between former rebel allies], 0:24, [[Al Jazeera English]] (December 3, 2017)</ref> and expressed openness to a dialogue with the [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|Saudi-led coalition]].<ref name="AJ_H-S"/> On 4 December 2017, Saleh's house in Sana'a was assaulted by fighters of the Houthi movement, according to residents.<ref>{{cite news|title=Yemen's Houthis blow up ex-president Saleh's house|url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-yemen-security-house/yemens-houthis-blow-up-ex-president-salehs-house-idUKKBN1DY15Y|accessdate=4 December 2017|agency=Reuters|date=4 December 2017}}</ref> Saleh has been killed by Houthis on 4 December.<ref name="CNNobit">{{cite news|title=Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh killed trying to flee Sanaa|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/04/middleeast/yemen-former-president-ali-abdullah-saleh-killed-intl/index.html|accessdate=4 December 2017|publisher=CNN|date=4 December 2017}}</ref><ref name="Reutersobit">{{cite news|title=Yemen's ex-president Saleh shot dead after switching sides in civil war|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/yemens-ex-president-saleh-shot-dead-after-switching-sides-in-civil-war-idUSKBN1DY12V|accessdate=4 December 2017|agency=Reuters|date=4 December 2017}}</ref>

==Membership and support==
[[File:Ansar Allah fighters.jpg|thumb|Ansar Allah fighters in Yemen, August 2009.]]
There is a difference between the [[Houthi tribe|al-Houthi family]]<ref name="RAND"/>{{rp|102}} and the Houthi movement. The movement was called by their opponents and foreign media "Houthis". The name came from the surname of the leader of the movement [[Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi]] who died in 2004.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}

The Houthis avoid assuming a singular tribal identity. Instead, the group strategically draws support from tribes of the northern Bakil federation, rival to the Hashid federation which had been a traditional ally of the central government. The Houthis' lack of centralised command structure allows them to generate immense support, as Yemenis from diverse backgrounds have joined their cause.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/shabab-al-moumineen.htm|title=Hothi / Houthi / Huthi; Ansar Allah; al-Shabab al-Mum'en / Shabab al-Moumineen (Believing Youth)|publisher=globalsecurity.org}}</ref>

Membership of the group had between 1,000 and 3,000 fighters as of 2005<ref>Philips, Sarah (28 July 2005). [http://www.merip.org/mero/mero072805.html Cracks in the Yemeni System]. Middle East Report Online.</ref> and between 2,000 and 10,000 fighters as of 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/world/middleeast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14920092|work=The Economist|title=Pity those caught in the middle|date=19 November 2009}}</ref> In 2010, the ''[[Yemen Post (newspaper)|Yemen Post]]'' claimed that they had over 100,000 fighters.<ref name="Almasmari">{{cite news|author=Almasmari, Hakim|title=Editorial: Thousands Expected to die in 2010 in Fight against Al-Qaeda|date=10 April 2010|newspaper=Yemen Post|url=http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=1749&MainCat=2|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303112426/http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=1749&MainCat=2|archivedate=3 March 2011|deadurl=no}}</ref> According to Houthi expert Ahmed Al-Bahri, by 2010, the Houthis had a total of 100,000–120,000 followers, including both armed fighters and unarmed loyalists.<ref name="followers">[http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=1723&MainCat=4 Ahmed Al-Bahri: Expert in Houthi Affairs], 10 April 2010.</ref>

As of 2015, the group is reported to have managed to pick up swaths of new supporters outside their traditional demographics.<ref name=PoliticoMagazine />
<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/05/12/yemen-houthis-send-children-battle|title=Yemen: Houthis Send Children Into Battle|date=12 May 2015|accessdate=15 October 2016|publisher=}}</ref>
On 5 February 2016, Iran's [[PressTV]] reported that Men of Hamdan, one of Yemen's most powerful tribes, rallied to the north of the capital, Sana'a, vowing to provide support in the form of potential mobilisation for the country's fighters resisting the Yemeni government. In a gathering held in the capital, hundreds of tribesmen from the southern parts pledged union against what they described as a U.S.-Israeli initiative targeting the country, which was being implemented by Saudi Arabia.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://presstv.ir/Detail/2016/02/05/448750/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-Hamdan-Aden\|title=Yemeni tribes call for mobilization against Saudi Arabia|work=[[PressTV]]}}</ref>

==Ideology==
[[File:Yemen ethno 2002.jpg|thumb|right|Ethnoreligious groups in 2002. [[Zaidiyyah|Zaidi]] [[Shia Islam|Shia]] followers make up over 42% of Muslims in Yemen.<ref>M. Izady. "[http://gulf2000.columbia.edu/images/maps/Yemen_Ethno_Religious_summary_lg.png Yemen:Ethno-Religious Composition]" Columbia University. 2014. Accessed 12 April 2015</ref>]]

Houthis belong to the [[Zaidiyyah|Zaidi]] branch of [[Islam]], also known as Fivers, a sect of Islam almost exclusively present in Yemen.<ref name="Al-Shamahi">{{Cite news|author=Al-Shamahi, Abubakr |title=Yemen is more nuanced than 'Sunni' & 'Shia' |date=7 February 2014 |newspaper=Yemen Times |url=http://www.yementimes.com/en/1759/opinion/3540/Yemen-is-more-nuanced-than-%E2%80%98Sunni%E2%80%99-amp;%C2%A0%E2%80%98Shia%E2%80%99.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102062350/http://www.yementimes.com/en/1759/opinion/3540/Yemen-is-more-nuanced-than-%E2%80%98Sunni%E2%80%99-amp%3B%C2%A0%E2%80%98Shia%E2%80%99.htm |archivedate=2 January 2015 |deadurl=no |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Zaydis make up about 25 percent of the population, [[Sunni Islam|Sunnis]] make up 75 percent, and there are also tiny minorities of Muslims who are members of other Shia sects — the [[Ismaili]] and [[Twelver]] communities. Al-Houthi Zaydis are estimated to make up about 30 percent of the Shiite population, according to Hassan Zaid, secretary-general of the al-Haq opposition party. The Zaydis ruled Yemen for 1,000 years up until 1962. During this time they ferociously defended their independence and fought off foreign powers (Egypt, the Ottomans) who controlled lower Yemen and tried to extend their rule to the north.<ref name="IRIN"/>

Similar to Shia Muslims in matters of religious law and rulings, the Houthi belief in the concept of an [[Imamate]] as being essential to their religion makes them distinct from Sunnis.<ref name=Globalsecurity.org>{{cite web|last1=Pike|first1=John|title=Zaydi Islam|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/intro/islam-zaydi.htm|accessdate=2 September 2014}}</ref> As of 2014 it has been observed that "The Houthi group's approach is in many ways similar to that of [[Hezbollah|Hizbollah]] in Lebanon. Similarly religiously based and Iran-backed, both groups follow the same military doctrine and glorify the [[Ruhollah Khomeini|Khomeini]] revolution in Iran".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/houthis-seek-to-impose-a-new-reality-on-yemen|title=Houthis seek to impose a new reality on Yemen|publisher=The National|date=23 September 2014|accessdate=31 March 2015}}</ref>

As a consequence, the Houthis have regularly been accused, even by many fellow Zaidis, of secretly being converts or followers of the [[Twelver]] sect, which is the official religion of their ally and backer Iran.<ref name="Al-Shamahi"/><ref name="Profile: Who are Yemen's Houthis">{{cite news|author1=Manuel Almeida|title=Profile: Who are Yemen's Houthis?|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/profiles/2014/10/08/Profile-Who-are-Yemen-s-Houthis-.html|accessdate=2 February 2015|work=Al Arabiya News|date=8 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Hothi/Houthi/Huthi: al-Shabab al-Mum'en/Shabab al-Moumineen (Believing Youth)|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/shabab-al-moumineen.htm|website=GlobalSecurity|accessdate=2 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Bengio|editor1-first=Ofra|editor2-last=Litvak|editor2-first=Meir|title=The Sunna and Shi'a in History: Division and Ecumenism in the Muslim Middle East|date=8 November 2011|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=9780230370739|page=244}}</ref>

===Flag and slogan===
{{main|Flag of Houthis}}
{{multiple image
 | align             = right
 | direction         = vertical
 | total_width       = 250
 | caption_align     = center
 | image1            = Houthis protest against airstrikes 1.png
 | image2            = Houthis protest against airstrikes 2.png
 | footer_align      = center
 | footer            = Houthis protest against [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition]] on [[Sana'a]] in September 2015, carrying placards with the movement's slogans (upper image) as well as the [[flag of Yemen]] (below).
}}

The group's flag reads as following: "''[[Takbir|God Is Great]], [[Death to America]], Death to [[Israel]], Curse on the [[Jews]], Victory to [[Islam]]''".<ref>{{lang-ar|الله أكبر، الموت لأمريكا، الموت لإسرائيل، اللعنة على اليهود، النصر للإسلام}}; Transliterated as ''"alllah 'akbara, almawt li'amrika, almawt li'iisrayiyla, alllaenat ealaa alyahud, alnnasr lil'iislam"''</ref> This motto is partially modelled on the motto of [[Iranian Revolution|revolutionary Iran]], which reads "Death to U.S. and death to Israel".<ref>{{Cite news|author=ShahidSaless, Shahir |title=Does Iran really control Yemen |newspaper=Al Monitor |date=30 March 2015 |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/02/iran-yemen-houthis-axis-of-resistance.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213230210/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/02/iran-yemen-houthis-axis-of-resistance.html |archivedate=13 February 2015 |deadurl=no}}</ref>

Some Houthi supporters stress that their ire for the U.S. and Israel is directed toward the governments of America and Israel. Ali al-Bukhayti, the spokesperson and official media face of the Houthis, tried to reject the literal interpretation of the slogan by stating that in one of his interview "We do not really want death to anyone. The slogan is simply against the interference of those governments [i.e. U.S. and Israel]".<ref name=":3">{{cite news|title=Photo Essay: Rise of the Houthis|url=http://www.newsweek.com/photo-essay-rise-houthis-305511|work=[[Newsweek]]|date=9 February 2015|accessdate=27 March 2015}}</ref> However, in the Arabic Houthi-affiliated TV and radio stations they use religious connotations associated with jihad against Israel and the US.<ref name="alaraby"/> They also call Saudi Arabia a U.S. puppet state.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2015/03/26/403503/Saudi-Arabia-puppet-of-US-Israel|title=PressTV-'Saudi Arabia puppet of US, Israel'|access-date=2018-03-02}}</ref>

=== Charges of harassment against Jews===
The Houthis have been accused of expelling or restricting members of the rural [[Jews of Yemen|Yemeni Jewish community]]. Reports of abuse include Houthi supporters bullying or attacking the country's Jews.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/Amid-persecution-Yemeni-Jews-face-extinction|title=Amid persecution, Yemeni Jews face extinction}}</ref><ref name="yementimes.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.yementimes.com/en/1861/report/4905/%E2%80%9CDamn-the-Jews%E2%80%9D-proving-more-than-just-a-slogan.htm|title="Damn the Jews" proving more than just a slogan|newspaper=Yemen Times}}</ref> Houthi officials, however, have denied any involvement in the harassment, asserting that under Houthi control, Jews in Yemen would be able to live and operate freely as any other Yemeni citizen. "Our problems are with Zionism and the occupation of Palestine, but Jews here have nothing to fear," said Fadl Abu Taleb, a spokesman for the Houthis. But despite insistence by Houthi leaders that the movement is not sectarian, a Yemeni Jewish rabbi has reportedly said that many Jews remain terrified by the movement's slogan.<ref name="yementimes.com"/> As a result, Yemeni Jews reportedly retain a negative sentiment towards the Houthis, who they allege have committed persecutions against them.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/world/middleeast/persecution-defines-life-for-yemens-few-jews.html?_r=1|title=Persecution Defines Life for Yemen's Remaining Jews|publisher=New York Times|date=19 February 2015}}</ref> According to [[Ayoob Kara]], Houthi militants had given an ultimatum telling Jews to "convert to Islam or leave Yemen".<ref>[http://yemenonline.info/special-reports/827 Houthis militants to Jews: Convert or leave Yemen]. 11 October 2015. ''Yemen Online''. Retrieved 8 February 2016.</ref>

=== Charges of harassment against Baha’i minority===

The Houthis have been accused of detaining, tortureing, arresting and held incommunicado of [[Bahá'í Faith]] members on charges of espionage and apostasy, which are punishable by death <ref>{{cite news |last1=Majidyar |first1=Ahmed |last2=Al Jarallah |first2=Lama |url=http://www.mei.edu/content/article/io/iran-backed-houthi-rebels-step-persecution-baha-i-minority-yemen |accessdate=28 September 2018 |agency=mei |publisher=mei |date=Sep 21, 2018}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |title=Yemen: Houthis Sentence Baha’i Man to Death |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/02/27/yemen-houthis-sentence-bahai-man-death |website=hrw |publisher=hrw |accessdate=28 September 2018}}</ref>. Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi has targeted Bahais in public speeches and accused the followers of [[Bahá'í Faith]] of being “satanic” <ref>{{cite news |last1=Michael |first1=Maggie |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/amnesty-decries-houthi-prosecution-of-bahais-in-yemen/2018/09/18/0d26eb2e-bb5d-11e8-adb8-01125416c102_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c53fa596a76c |accessdate=28 September 2018 |agency=Washington Post |publisher=Washington Post}}</ref> and agents for the western countries, citing a 2013 fatwa issued by Iran’s Supreme Leader. <ref>{{cite news |last1=Majidyar |first1=Ahmed |last2=Al Jarallah |first2=Lama |url=http://www.mei.edu/content/article/io/iran-backed-houthi-rebels-step-persecution-baha-i-minority-yemen |accessdate=28 September 2018 |agency=mei |publisher=mei |date=Sep 21, 2018}}</ref>

==Leaders==
* [[Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi]] – former leader (killed 2004)
* [[Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi]] – leader
* [[Yahia Badreddin al-Houthi]] – senior leader
* [[Abdul-Karim Badreddin al-Houthi]] – high-ranking commander
*[[Badreddin al-Houthi|Badr Eddin al-Houthi]] – spiritual leader (died 2010)
* [[Abdullah al-Ruzami]] – former military commander
* [[Abu Ali Abdullah al-Hakem al-Houthi]] – military commander
* [[Saleh Habra]] – political leader<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.yementimes.com/en/1559/news/645/Meetings-push-government-and-Houthis-closer-towards-%E2%80%9Creconciliation%E2%80%9D.htm|title=Meetings push government and Houthis closer towards "reconciliation"|publisher=Yemen Times|date=29 March 2012|accessdate=23 January 2013}}</ref>
* [[Fares Mana'a]] – Houthi-appointed governor of Sa'dah<ref name="Al-Batati-28-03-2011">{{Cite news|author=Al-Batati, Saeed|title=Yemeni regime loses grip on four provinces|date=28 March 2011|newspaper=Arab News|url=http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article332239.ece|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110331154218/http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article332239.ece|archivedate=31 March 2011|deadurl=yes}}</ref> and former head of Saleh's Presidential committee<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=1064&MainCat=6|title=Sana'a Cards to Pressurize Houthis to Enter New Dialogue Rounds|newspaper=Yemen Post|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501022555/http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=1064&MainCat=6|archivedate=1 May 2012 |deadurl=no}}</ref>

==Motives and objectives==
When armed conflict for the first time erupted back in 2004 between the Yemeni government and Houthis, the [[Ali Abdullah Saleh|then-Yemeni President]] accused Houthis and other Islamic opposition parties of trying to overthrow the government and the republican system. However Houthi leaders for their part rejected the accusation by saying that they had never rejected the president or the republican system but were only defending themselves against government attacks on their community.<ref name="arrabyee-2005">{{cite news| first=Nasser| last=Arrabyee| title=Rebellion continues| url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/743/re10.htm| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051024172005/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/743/re10.htm| dead-url=yes| archive-date=24 October 2005| work=[[Al-Ahram Weekly]]| date=25 May 2005| accessdate=11 April 2007 }}</ref> [[Zaidiyyah|Zaidi]] Shi'ites compose one-third of the population of [[Yemen]] and Houthis have often voiced the grievances of the Zaidi population.<ref name="Iran_support">{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/15/us-yemen-houthis-iran-insight-idUSKBN0JT17A20141215|title=Iranian support seen crucial for Yemen's Houthis|publisher=Reuters|date=15 December 2014|accessdate=31 March 2015}}</ref>

The group has also exploited the popular discontent over corruption and reduction of government subsidies.<ref name="Iran_support"/> According to a February 2015 [[Newsweek]] report, Houthis are fighting "for things that all Yemenis crave: government accountability, the end to corruption, regular utilities, fair fuel prices, job opportunities for ordinary Yemenis and the end of Western influence".<ref>{{cite news|title=Photo Essay: The Rise of the Houthis|url=http://www.newsweek.com/photo-essay-rise-houthis-305511|newspaper=[[Newsweek]]|date=9 February 2015|accessdate=17 February 2015}}</ref>

The Houthis have asserted that their actions are to fight against the expansion of [[Salafi movement|Salafism]] in Yemen,<ref name="Profile: Who are Yemen's Houthis" /> and for the defence of their community from discrimination, whereas the [[Government of Yemen|Yemeni government]] has in turn accused the insurgents of intending to overthrow the regime out of a desire to institute Zaidi religious law,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7379929.stm|title=Deadly blast strikes Yemen mosque|date=2 May 2008|accessdate=11 November 2009|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> destabilising the government and stirring anti-American sentiment.<ref>Sultan, Nabil (10 July 2004).</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG10Ak02.html|title=Asia Times – Asia's most trusted news source for the Middle East|website=www.atimes.com}}</ref> 

Hassan al-Homran, a former spokesperson for Ansar Allah, has said that "Ansar Allah supports the establishment of a civil state in Yemen. We want to build a striving modern democracy. Our goals are to fulfil our people's democratic aspirations in keeping with the Arab Spring movement."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?SubID=7375|title=Hassan al-Homran, spokesperson for Ansar Allah|newspaper=Yemen Post|date=22 November 2013}}</ref> In an interview with ''[[Yemen Times]]'', Hussein al-Bukhari, a Houthi insider, said that Houthis' preferable political system is a republic with elections where women can also hold political positions, and that they do not seek to form a cleric-led government after the model of [[Politics of Iran|Islamic Republic of Iran]] for "we cannot apply this system in Yemen because the followers of the [[Shafi'i|Shafi]] ([[Sunni Islam|Sunni]]) doctrine are bigger in number than the Zaydis."<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=http://www.yementimes.com/en/1826/intreview/4467|title=Al-Bukhari to the Yemen Times: "The Houthis' takeover can not be called an invasion"|newspaper=[[Yemen Times]]|date=21 October 2014|access-date=17 February 2015}}</ref> 
  
[[Ali Akbar Velayati]], International Affairs Advisor to Supreme Iranian Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, stated in October 2014 that "We are hopeful that Ansar-Allah has the same role in Yemen as [[Hezbollah]] has in eradicating the terrorists in Lebanon".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/03/analysis-iranian-reactions-to-operation-decisive-storm.php|title=Analysis: Iranian Reactions to Operation Decisive Storm|publisher=The Long War Journal|date=31 March 2015|accessdate=31 March 2015}}</ref>

==Activism and tactics==

===Political===
During their campaigns against Hadi government, Houthis used civil disobedience. Following the Yemeni government's decision in 13 July 2014 to increase fuel prices,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Yemenis protest fuel price hikes in several cities |newspaper=Press TV |url=http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/07/31/373453/yemenis-protest-fuel-price-hikes/ |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911002405/http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/07/31/373453/yemenis-protest-fuel-price-hikes/ |archivedate=11 September 2014 |deadurl=no}}</ref> Houthi leaders succeeded in organising massive rallies in the capital Sana'a to protest the decision and to demand resignation of the incumbent government of [[Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi]] for "state-corruption".<ref>{{Cite news|title=1000s of Yemen's Houthis protest in Sana'a|newspaper=Press TV|date=20 August 2014|url=http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/08/20/376026/houthis-protest-in-yemen-capital|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824115142/http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/08/20/376026/houthis-protest-in-yemen-capital|archivedate=24 August 2014|deadurl=no}}</ref> These protests developed into the 2014–2015 phase of the insurgency. Similarly, following [[2015 military intervention in Yemen|2015 Saudi-led airstrikes]] against Houthis which claimed civilians lives, Yemenis responded to the [[Abdul-Malik al-Houthi]]'s call and took to streets of the capital, Sana'a, in tens of thousands to voice their anger at the Saudi invasion.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Supporters of Houthi revolutionaries take to streets in capital, Sana'a|date=26 March 2015|newspaper=[[Press TV]]|url=http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/03/26/403448/Houthi-supporters-take-to-Sanaa-streets|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401164622/http://presstv.ir/Detail/2015/03/26/403448/Houthi-supporters-take-to-Sanaa-streets |archivedate=1 April 2015|deadurl=no}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|newspaper=[[Al Jazeera]]|title=Coalition jets continue to hit Houthi targets in Yemen|date=27 March 2015|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/03/coalition-jets-continue-hit-houthi-targets-yemen-150327022702372.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134533/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/03/coalition-jets-continue-hit-houthi-targets-yemen-150327022702372.html|archivedate=2 April 2015|deadurl=no}}</ref>

===Cultural===
[[File:Houthis protest against airstrikes 3.png|thumb|right|A Houthi holds up an image of [[Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi]], the movement leader, during protests against the [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|Saudi Arabian-led coalition]] ]]

The Houthis have also held a number of mass gatherings since the revolution. On 24 January 2013, thousands gathered in Dahiyan, [[Sa'dah]] and Heziez, just outside Sana'a, to celebrate [[Mawlid|Mawlid al-Nabi]], the birth of Mohammed. A similar event took place on 13 January 2014 at the main sports' stadium in Sana'a. On this occasion, men and women were completely segregated: men filled the open-air stadium and football field in the centre, guided by appointed Houthi safety officials wearing bright vests and matching hats; women poured into the adjacent indoor stadium, led inside by security women distinguishable only by their purple sashes and matching hats. The indoor stadium held at least five thousand women — ten times as many attendees as the 2013 gathering.<ref name="Yemen in crisis" />

=== Media ===
The Houthis are said to have "a huge and well-oiled propaganda machine". They have established "a formidable media arm" with the Lebanese Hezbollah's technical support. The format and content of the group's leader, [[Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi|Abdul-Malik al-Houthi]]'s televised speeches are said to have been modeled after those of Hezbollah's Secretary General, [[Hassan Nasrallah]]. Following the peaceful youth uprising in 2011, the group launched its official TV channel, [[Almasirah]]. "The most impressive part" of Houthi propaganda, though, is their media print which includes 25 print and electronic publications.<ref name="alaraby" />

Another western-based media, the "Yemen Resistance Watch", is also known to be extensively pro-Houthi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yemen-rw.org|title=Home – Yemen Resistance Watch|website=Yemen Resistance Watch|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-11}}</ref>

===Combat and military===
In 2009, US Embassy sources have reported that Houthis used increasingly more sophisticated tactics and strategies in their conflict with the government as they gained more experience, and that they fought with religious fervor.<ref name="Wikileaks">{{cite web|url=https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09SANAA2186_a.html#efmAB5ACu|title=Cable:09SANAA2186_a|date=9 December 2009|publisher=Wikileaks|accessdate=2 April 2015}}</ref><ref name=scoop>{{cite news|title=Cablegate: Who Are the Houthis, Part Two: How Are They|url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WL0912/S01637/cablegate-who-are-the-houthis-part-two-how-are-they.htm|newspaper=[[Scoop (website)]]}}</ref>

==Armed strength and horizontal escalation of the conflict outside of Yemen==
[[File:Yemen division 2012-3-11.svg|thumb|Situation in March 2012]]
{{see also|Houthi insurgency in Yemen}}
Late in 2015, Houthis announced the local production of short-range ballistic missile [[Qaher-1]] on Al-Masirah TV. On May 19, 2017 Saudi Arabia intercepted a Houthi-fired ballistic missile targeting a deserted area south of the Saudi capital and most populous city Riyadh. The Houthi militias have captured dozens of tanks and masses of heavy weaponry from the [[Yemeni Armed Forces]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/saudi-arabia-intercepts-houthi-rebel-missile-fired-towards-riyadh/a-38913313|title=Saudi Arabia intercepts Houthi rebel missile fired towards Riyadh – News – DW – 20.05.2017|first=Deutsche Welle|last=(www.dw.com)|website=DW.COM}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/saudi-arabia-retaliates-rocket-attack-houthis-47528517|title=ABC News|first=ABC|last=News|website=ABC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = فيديو+صور "قاهر1" أول صاروخ بالستي معدل محلياً يضرب قاعدة خميس مشيط {{!}} المسيرة نت – قناة المسيرة الفضائية |url = http://www.almasirah.net/%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%B11-%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AE-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%84-%D9%85/ | access-date = 10 March 2016 }}</ref>

== Allegations of Iranian support ==
Former Yemeni president [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]] had accused the Houthis of having ties to external backers, in particular the Iranian government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wikileaks.ch./cable/2010/02/10KUWAIT142.html|title=Cable Viewer|date=17 February 2010|publisher=Wikileaks|accessdate=23 January 2013}}</ref> Saleh stated in a New York Times' interview that "The real reason they received unofficial support from Iran was because they repeat same slogan that is raised by Iran death to America, death to Israel". He also said "The Iranian media repeats statements of support for these Houthi elements. They are all trying to take revenge against the USA on Yemeni territories".<ref name="nytimes.com" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Juneau|first=Thomas|date=2016-05-01|title=Iran's policy towards the Houthis in Yemen: a limited return on a modest investment|url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1468-2346.12599/abstract|journal=International Affairs|language=en|volume=92|issue=3|pages=647–663|doi=10.1111/1468-2346.12599|issn=1468-2346}}</ref> Tehran has denied allegations of Houthis receiving arms support from Iran.<ref name="denial">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/26/iran-saudi-proxy-war-yemen-crisis|title=Iran-Saudi proxy war in Yemen explodes into region-wide crisis|last=Tisdall|first=Simon|date=26 March 2015|publisher=The guardian|access-date=5 June 2015}}</ref> The Houthis in turn accused that the Saleh government was being backed by [[Saudi Arabia]] and was using [[Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula|Al-Qaeda]] to repress them.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.presstv.ir/classic/detail.aspx?id=104778&sectionid=3510302|title=Saudi, al-Qaeda support Yemen crackdown on Shias|date=29 August 2009|accessdate=1 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902013214/http://www.presstv.ir/classic/detail.aspx?id=104778&sectionid=3510302|archive-date=2 September 2009|dead-url=yes|publisher=[[Press TV]]|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.weaselzippers.net/blog/2009/12/alqaeda-fighting-for-yemeni-government-against-houthi-shia-rebels.html|title=Al-Qaeda Fighting for Yemeni Government Against Houthi Shia Rebels...|date=29 December 2009|accessdate=1 February 2010}}{{dead link|date=February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=109842&sectionid=351020206|title=Yemen employs al-Qaeda mercenaries: Houthis|date=28 October 2009|accessdate=1 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029144628/http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=109842&sectionid=351020206|archive-date=29 October 2009|dead-url=yes|publisher=[[Press TV]]|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Under the next President Hadi, Gulf Arab states accused Iran of backing the Houthis financially and militarily, though Iran denied this, and they were themselves backers of President Hadi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29319423|title=BBC|last=|first=|date=|website=|access-date=}}</ref> Houthis denied reception of financial or arm support from Iran.<ref name="Iran_support" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/20/Iranian-ship-unloads-185-tons-of-weapons-for-Houthis-at-Saleef-port.html|title=Iranian ship unloads 185 tons of weapons for Houthis at Saleef port|date=20 March 2015|newspaper=Al Arabiya News|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324033033/http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/20/Iranian-ship-unloads-185-tons-of-weapons-for-Houthis-at-Saleef-port.html|archivedate=24 March 2015|deadurl=no}}</ref> [[Joost Hiltermann]] of [[Foreign Policy]] wrote that whatever little material support the Houthis may have received from Iran, the intelligence and military support by US and UK for the [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|Saudi Arabian-led coalition]] exceed that by many factors.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/02/27/the-houthis-are-not-hezbollah/|title=The Houthis Are Not Hezbollah|website=Foreign Policy|language=en|access-date=2018-07-28}}</ref> 

In April 2015, the [[United States National Security Council]] spokesperson [[Bernadette Meehan]] remarked that "It remains our assessment that Iran does not exert command and control over the Houthis in Yemen".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/030917_Rand_Testimony.pdf|title=United states senate committee on foreign relations|last=|first=|date=|website=|access-date=}}</ref> [[Joost Hiltermann]] wrote that Iran does not control the Houthis' decision-making as evidenced by Houthis' flat rejection of Iran's demand not to take over Sanaa in 2015.<ref name=":6" /> Thomas Juneau, writing in the journal, [[International Affairs (journal)|International Affairs]], states that even though Iran's support for Houthis has increased since 2014, it remains far too limited to have a significant impact in the balance of power in Yemen.<ref name=":1" />

A December 2009 cable between Sanaa and various intelligence agencies disseminated by [[WikiLeaks]] states that US State Dept. analysts believed the Houthis obtained weapons from the Yemeni [[black market]] and corrupt members of the Yemenis Republican Guard.<ref name="Wikileaks" />
On the edition of 8 April 2015 of ''[[PBS Newshour]]'', [[Secretary of State]] John Kerry stated that the US knew Iran was providing military support to the Houthi rebels in Yemen, adding that Washington "is not going to stand by while the region is destabilised".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/10/world/middleeast/kerry-us-iran-military-aid-houthi-yemen.html|title=Kerry Says U.S. Knew of Iran's Military Aid to Houthi Rebels|date=10 April 2015|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

Phillip Smyth of the [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]] told [[Business Insider]] that Iran views Shia groups in the Middle East as "integral elements to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)." Smyth claimed that there is a strong bond between Iran and the Houthi uprising working to overthrow the government in Yemen. According to Smyth, in many cases Houthi leaders go to Iran for ideological and religious education, and Iranian and Hezbollah leaders have been spotted on the ground advising the Houthi troops, these Iranian advisers are likely responsible for training the Houthis to use the type of sophisticated guided missiles fired at the US Navy.<ref>cf. {{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-general-suspects-iran-role-in-houthi-attacks-on-us-ships/|title=US general suspects Iran role in Houthi attacks on US ships|work=[[The Times of Israel]]|date=2016-10-20|access-date=25 October 2016}}</ref> For Iran, supporting the revolt in Yemen is "a good way to bleed the Saudis," Iran's regional and ideological rival. Essentially, Iran is backing the Houthis to fight against a Saudi-led coalition of Gulf States fighting to maintain government control of Yemen.<ref>{{cite book|last1= businessinsider |title=Why the US confronted Iranian-backed militants in Yemen, and the risks that lie ahead|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/us-yemen-strike-houthi-iran-saudi-arabia-2016-10}}</ref> The discord has led some publishers to fear that further confrontations may lead to an all-out Sunni-Shiite war.<ref>The Arab Revolts, 2013 David Mcmurray</ref> 

In 2013, photographs released by the Yemeni government show the United States Navy and Yemen's security forces seized a class of shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles not publicly known to have been out of state control.<ref>{{cite news|title=Seizure of Antiaircraft Missiles in Yemen Raises Fears That Iran Is Arming Rebels There|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/09/world/middleeast/weapons-seizure-in-yemen-raises-worries-of-irans-influence.html|accessdate=15 October 2016|agency=nytimes|publisher=nytimes}}</ref>

In April 2016, the U.S. Navy intercepted a large Iranian arms shipment, seizing thousands of weapons, AK-47 rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers that likely were headed to Yemen.<ref>{{cite news|title=US seizes thousands of Iranian weapons, including grenade launchers, in Arabian Sea|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/04/04/us-seizes-thousands-iranian-weapons-including-grenade-launchers-in-arabian-sea.html|accessdate=15 October 2016|agency=fox news}}</ref>

== Allegations of human rights violations ==
Houthis have been accused of violations of international humanitarian law such as using [[child soldiers]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/912|title=WHO ARE THE HOUTHIS, PART TWO: HOW ARE THEY  FIGHTING?|publisher=}}</ref><ref name="CC18">{{cite web |url= http://www.yementimes.com/en/1828/report/4489/Checkpoint-children-Armed-Houthis-under-18.htm |title=Checkpoint children: Armed Houthis under 18 |work=Yemen Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/04/06/q-conflict-yemen-and-international-law|title=Q & A on The Conflict in Yemen and International Law – Human Rights Watch|work=hrw.org}}</ref> shelling civilian areas,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Al-Haj|first1=Ahmed|last2=Youssef|first2=Nour|url=https://news.yahoo.com/aid-group-yemens-death-toll-rebel-shelling-nearly-104006790.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150720160828/http://news.yahoo.com/aid-group-yemens-death-toll-rebel-shelling-nearly-104006790.html|dead-url=yes|archive-date=20 July 2015|title=Death toll from Yemen rebel shelling doubles to nearly 100|work=Yahoo! News|date=|access-date=21 July 2015}}</ref> forced evacuations, executions and [[human shield]]ing.<ref name=Wikileaks/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/webtv/news-bulletin/2015/03/31/1900GMT.html|title=Panorama: Houthis use civilians as human shields|website=English.AlArabiya.net|access-date=1 January 2018}}</ref> 

According to Human Right Watch, Houthis have inclined up their recruitment of children in 2015. The UNICEF mentioned that children with the Houthis and other armed groups in Yemen comprise up to a third of all fighters in Yemen.<ref>{{cite web|last1=HRW|title=Yemen: Houthis Send Children Into Battle|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/05/12/yemen-houthis-send-children-battle|website=HRW|publisher=HRW}}</ref> 

Human Rights Watch has further accused Houthi forces of using landmines in Yemen's third-largest city of Taizz which has caused many civilian casualties and prevent the return of families displaced by the fighting.<ref>{{cite news|last1=HRW|title=Yemen: Houthi Landmines Claim Civilian Victims|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/09/08/yemen-houthi-landmines-claim-civilian-victims|access-date=14 October 2016|agency=HRW|publisher=HRW}}</ref> 

HRW has also accused the Houthis of interfering with the work of Yemen's human rights advocates and organizations.<ref>{{cite news|last1=HRW|title=Yemen: Houthis Ban Rights Advocate's Travel|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/03/12/yemen-houthis-ban-rights-advocates-travel|access-date=14 October 2016|agency=HRW|publisher=HRW}}</ref>
	 
An HRW researcher, quoted in 2009 US embassy report, has downplayed the repeated allegations by the former government of Yemen accusing the Houthis of using civilians as human shields, by saying that they did not have enough evidence to conclude that the Houthis have been intentionally using civilians as human shields.<ref name=Wikileaks /><ref name="scoop" />

The Human Rights Watch impicated that the Houthis using hostage taking as a tactic to generate profit. Human Rights Watch documented 16 cases in which Houthi authorities held people unlawfully, in large part to extort money from relatives or to exchange them for people held by opposing forces. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/09/25/yemen-houthi-hostage-taking| title=Yemen: Houthi Hostage-Taking| publisher=Human Rights Watch|date=September 25, 2018}}</ref>

== Governance ==
According to the 2009 US Embassy cable leaked by [[WikiLeaks]], Houthis have reportedly established courts and prisons in areas they control. They impose their own laws on local residents, demand protection money, and dispense rough justice by ordering executions. [[Associated Press|AP]]'s reporter, Ahmad al-Haj argued that the Houthis were winning hearts and minds by providing security in areas long neglected by the Yemeni government while limiting the arbitrary and abusive power of influential sheikhs. According to the Civic Democratic Foundation, Houthis help resolve conflicts between tribes and reduce the number of revenge killings in areas they control. The US ambassador believed that the reports that explain Houthi role as arbitrating local disputes were more likely than the sinister{{Lopsided|date=August 2015}} suggestions.<ref name="Wikileaks" /><ref name="scoop"/>

==Areas under administration==
{{portal|Yemen|War|Shia Islam}}
The Houthis exert ''de facto'' authority over the bulk of [[North Yemen]]. North Yemen was united with [[South Yemen]] in 1990; the Yemen government has repeatedly suppressed separatist protests by force.<ref>{{Cite news|author=AlAhmad, Safa|title=Meeting the Houthis – and their enemies|newspaper=BBC News Magazine|date=16 March 2015|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31907671|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6XW5yBU63?url=http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31907671|archivedate=3 April 2015|deadurl=no}}</ref> The Houthis' direct administration includes the following territories:
* [[Saada Governorate]]<ref name="Al-Batati-28-03-2011"/>
* [['Amran Governorate]]<ref>{{cite web|author=Heinze, Marie-Christine|title=The primacy of stability over real change|work=Dialogue with the Islamic World|publisher=Qantara.de (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung)|url=http://en.qantara.de/content/the-crisis-in-yemen-the-primacy-of-stability-over-real-change|accessdate=26 February 2015}}</ref>
* Majority of [[Al Jawf Governorate]],<ref>{{Cite news|title=Medics: Militants raid Yemen town, killing dozens |author=Hakim Almasmari, For CNN |date=27 November 2011 |newspaper=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/27/world/meast/yemen-clashes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201071658/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/27/world/meast/yemen-clashes/ |archivedate=1 December 2011 |deadurl=no |df=dmy-all }}</ref> including:
** [[Al Hazm District]] (presence)<ref>{{Cite news|title=Suicide bombing kills 14 Houthis in Al-Jawf |date=28 May 2012|newspaper=Yemen Times|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-291146343.html|accessdate=26 February 2015}}</ref>
** [[Al Maton District]]<ref name="checkpoint">{{Cite news|url=http://www.yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=2817|title=Houthi Group Builds Checkpoints after Deadly Car Bomb Blast|newspaper=Yemen Post|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203203536/http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=2817|archivedate=3 December 2010|deadurl=no}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Picking up the pieces|newspaper=Al Ahram Weekly|date=17 November 2011|url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2011/1072/re8.htm|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6XW2m81t0?url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2011/1072/re8.htm|archivedate=3 April 2015|deadurl=no}}</ref>
** [[Az Zahir District]]<ref name="checkpoint"/><ref>{{Cite news|title=24 Houthis Killed in Car Bomb Blast in Jawf|newspaper=Yemen Post|url=http://www.yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=2795|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907160113/http://www.yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=2795|archivedate=7 September 2012|deadurl=no}}</ref>
** [[Al Matammah District]]<ref name="checkpoint"/>
* [[Hajjah Governorate]]<ref>{{Cite news|title=Houthi rebels seize province, clash with al-Qaeda in Yemen's Rada'a|newspaper=Middle East Eye|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/houthi-rebles-clash-al-qaeda-yemens-radaa-415481037|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141203090526/http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/houthi-rebles-clash-al-qaeda-yemens-radaa-415481037|archivedate=3 December 2014}}</ref>
* [[Sana'a Governorate]] including strong presence in:
** [[Arhab District]] (partial control)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yementimes.com/en/1842/news/4694/Houthis-gain-control-over-Arhab-district.htm|title=Houthis gain control over Arhab district|work=Yemen Times|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216164457/http://www.yementimes.com/en/1842/news/4694/Houthis-gain-control-over-Arhab-district.htm|archivedate=16 December 2014|deadurl=no}}</ref>
* [[Dhamar Governorate]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yemenobserver.com/front-page/853-what%E2%80%99s-next-houthis-take-control-of-four-northern-provinces,-two-governors-resign.html|archive-url=https://archive.is/20150221095219/http://yemenobserver.com/front-page/853-what%E2%80%99s-next-houthis-take-control-of-four-northern-provinces,-two-governors-resign.html|dead-url=yes|archive-date=2015-02-21|title=What's Next? Houthis Take Control Of Four Northern Provinces, Two Governors Resign|newspaper=Yemen Observer|author=Oudah, Abdul-Aziz}}</ref>
* [[Al Mahwit Governorate]]<ref>{{Cite news|title=Ansarullah takes Yemen west province|date=22 October 2014|newspaper=Press TV|url=http://edition.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=383259|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221121356/http://edition.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=383259|archivedate=21 February 2015|deadurl=no}}</ref>
* [[Raymah Governorate]]<ref>{{Cite news|author=Al-Moshki, Ali Ibrahim|title=Houthis take over Raima governorate|date=1 January 2015|newspaper=Yemen Times|url=http://www.yementimes.com/en/1847/news/4753/Houthis-take-over-Raima-governorate.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326142452/http://www.yementimes.com/en/1847/news/4753/Houthis-take-over-Raima-governorate.htm|archivedate=26 March 2015|deadurl=no}}</ref>
* [[Ibb Governorate]]<ref>http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/more-than-100-al-houthis-killed-in-one-week-in-yemen-1.2087809</ref>
* [[Al Hudaydah Governorate]]<ref>https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/12/7/yemen-government-recaptures-red-sea-town-from-rebels</ref>
* [[Al Bayda Governorate]]<ref>https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/more-than-20-houthis-killed-in-yemen-s-al-bayda-1.691528</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.ansarollah.com/ Official website]
* Former [http://ansaroallah.com/ website]
* [https://www.ansarullah.info Unofficial website for the "Ansarullah Information Center"]
* {{cite web |url=http://www.zenithonline.de/politik/interview/?article=744&cHash=b6fabecb08 |archive-url=http://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171012001516/http://www.zenithonline.de/politik/interview/?article=744&cHash=b6fabecb08 |dead-url=yes |archive-date=12 October 2017 |title=Interview with exiled Houthi  |publisher=Counterpunch |date=3 February 2015 |accessdate=26 March 2015}}
* {{cite web|author=John Pike |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/shabab-al-moumineen.htm |title=al-Shabab al-Mum?en / Shabab al-Moumineen (Believing Youth) |publisher=Global Security |accessdate=23 January 2013}}

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