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המר כ ז למ ו רשת המ ו ד י ע י ן ) מל " מ (
מר כ ז המ י דע למ ו ד י ע י ן ו לטר ו ר
המר כ ז למ ו רשת המ ו ד י ע י ן ) מל " מ (
מר כ ז המ י דע למ ו ד י ע י ן ו לטר ו ר
המר כ ז למ ו רשת המ ו ד י ע י ן ) מל " מ (
מר כ ז המ י דע למ ו ד י ע י ן ו לטר ו ר
המר כ ז למ ו רשת המ ו ד י ע י ן ) מל " מ (
מר כ ז המ י דע למ ו ד י ע י ן ו לטר ו ר
Overview
The Houthi movement was established in Yemen in the early 1990s, based on Shiite Zaydi
Muslim residents, who make up about 30% of the country’s population. In 2004, the
movement mounted a rebellion against the central government in Yemen because it had
become too closely affiliated with the US and Israel. Until 2009, six rounds of fighting
between the parties took place, at the end of which the Houthis established autonomy in
northern Yemen. Over time, the Houthis managed to increase their power and areas of
control, and in 2015, they deposed the incumbent president. This move has led, among other
things, to the establishment of a coalition of Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates, which set itself the goal of defeating the Houthis and restoring the
previous regime. In response, the Houthis also began to carry out attacks on the territory of
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, using advanced weapons provided by Iran.
Iran supported the Houthis all along, provided them with military, economic, and political
support, and included them in the Axis of Resistance
[note 1] under its leadership. In
supporting the Houthis, Iran sees an opportunity to gain a foothold in Yemen and respond to
the threat from the south by Saudi Arabia.
The advanced weapons provided by Iran to the Houthis included, inter alia, ballistic missiles
and UAVs, which they also used to carry out attacks against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates.
Due to the geo-strategic importance of Yemen, the destabilization of the country triggered a
regional struggle involving external entities that include on one hand Iran and its affiliates,
who consider the Houthis allies, and on the other hand, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries,
which take an active part in the civil war and support the anti-Houthi bloc in Yemen. On the
The Axis of Resistance is the name given to an anti-American and anti-Israeli political-military alliance
among Iran, the Assad regime in Syria, Iran’s affiliates (Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi movement in
Yemen, and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria), Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC). The alliance advocates,
inter alia, a violent struggle against Israel.
The Houthi Movement and the War in Yemen:
Development and Significance
