Since emerging as a political force inside Yemen in the early 2000s, the Houthi rebels, also known as the Ansarullah (“followers of Allah”) movement, have today grown into a major regional actor whose actions carry global consequences. Whether overthrowing the old order in Yemen, resisting a Saudi-led Arab coalition or fighting the US to a standstill, the Houthis have shown a resilience which, given the disparity of power that exists on paper between them and their opponents, is as shocking as it is impressive. Wrongly labeled as a proxy of Iran, the Houthis have demonstrated independence in their domestic and external actions that have made finding a solution to their continued resistance in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds a mission impossible.
The Houthi movement of Yemen derives its name from the Houthi tribe that dominates its organizational and governmental ranks, including the most senior positions. The Houthis are rooted in a Zaydi-Shiite religious identity that extends beyond the spiritual and into the very essence of their cause — the duty to resist injustice.
This lies at the very heart of the Zaydi faith, founded on the 8th century revolt led by Zayd ibn Ali against the Umayyad Caliphate and which holds that any learned descendant of Ali can become an imam by asserting and fighting for his claim. This is in opposition to the classic Shiite belief that imams must be divinely appointed. This theological divergence is one of the main reasons why the Houthis will never be subsumed by Iran: The very precept of Velayat-e Faqih, the concept underpinning Iran's supreme clerical rule, is anathema to the Houthis.
