Onmanorama Explains | Who are Yemen’s Houthis; why did they attack Israel as Iran’s ally?

Amid the efforts to restore peace in the Middle East by ending the tensions between Iran, Israel and US, Yemen’s Houthis joined the war on March 28. The Israeli military confirmed that they had detected a missile launched from Yemen for the first time amid the ongoing conflict.

Few details were immediately available, including who fired the missile and at what target, but news of the attack came just hours after Iran-aligned Houthis said they were prepared to act if what the group called an escalation against Iran and the "Axis of Resistance" continued. 

After Israel’s announcement, Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack and declared that they took the move after the continued targeting of infrastructure in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories, adding that their operations would continue until the "aggression" on all fronts ends.

Heavily armed and capable of striking Gulf neighbours, any involvement in the conflict by the Houthis could cause major disruption to maritime navigation around the Arabian Peninsula, as global trade reels from the near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Here is a look at why that might be:

Who are the Houthis?
The Houthis are a military, political and religious movement led by the Houthi family and based in northern Yemen. They adhere to the Zaydi sect of Shi'ite Islam. This group have a history of fighting guerrilla wars with the Yemeni army but expanded their power and built closer ties with Iran after the 2011 "Arab Spring" protests.

Seizing on instability in the country, the group captured the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014. The following year, Saudi Arabia led a coalition of Arab states in a military intervention aimed at dislodging the group.

The Houthis demonstrated significant missile and drone capabilities, attacking oil installations and vital infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

After years of fighting that led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, the UN brokered a 2022 truce between the warring sides in Yemen that has since held.

Red sea attacks
After the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel led by Palestinian militant group Hamas, which triggered a devastating Israeli military campaign in Gaza, the Houthis began firing on international shipping in the Red Sea, saying it was doing so in support of Palestinians.

They also fired drones and missiles at Israel, which responded with air strikes on Houthi targets. The US also launched strikes against the Houthis.

The Houthis ceased their attacks following a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October 2025.

Why did the Houthis not join the war earlier?
On March 5, Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said his group was ready to strike at any moment.

“Regarding military escalation and action, our fingers are on the trigger at any moment should developments warrant it," he said in a televised speech.

But unlike Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iraqi armed groups, they have not made any formal announcement of joining the war. On March 27, the group repeated its warning as the war intensified, and a few hours later, Israel said it identified a missile launch from Yemen.

Houthi religious doctrine does not adhere to Iran's supreme leader in the same way Hezbollah and the Iraqi groups do.

While Iran champions the Houthis as part of its regional "Axis of Resistance", Yemen experts say the movement is motivated primarily by a domestic agenda, though they share a political affinity with Iran and Hezbollah.

The US said that Iran has armed, funded and trained the Houthis with help from Hezbollah.

However, Houthis denied being an Iranian proxy and argued that they used to develop their own weapons.

What might they do?
Observers have been split on what course of action the Houthis, a notoriously mercurial group, may take. Some diplomats and analysts believe they may already have undertaken individual attacks against targets in neighbouring states. Reuters could not substantiate those claims.

Others say the Houthis have kept their powder dry for an opportune moment to enter the conflict, in coordination with Iran, in order to exert maximum pressure.

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz to Gulf Arab hydrocarbon exports and a shift to heavy reliance on the Red Sea might provide such an opportunity.

The group said on March 27 it was prepared to act if other countries joined the US and Israel in their war against Iran, or if the Red Sea was used to launch attacks on the Islamic Republic.

The warning raised the prospect of a broader regional confrontation, particularly given the Houthis' ability to strike targets far beyond Yemen and disrupt shipping lanes around the Arabian Peninsula, which would choke global trade.
(With inputs from Reuters)