Yemeni militant group is ally of Iran and has previously caused huge disruption to global trade through attacks on Red Sea shipping
Middle East crisis – live updates
The Houthis are a militant group that emerged from a years-long civil war in Yemen as the country’s most powerful political force, able to disrupt international trade thanks to their proximity to a key shipping corridor at the entrance of the Red Sea.
The group, which has an estimated 20,000 fighters, represents the Zaidi branch of Shia Islam. The Houthis first began gaining mass support around the turn of the century from Shia Yemenis fed up with corruption and authoritarian leaders.
The Houthis captured the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, in 2014 and a year later overthrew the western-backed president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Hadi was forced to flee, but his allies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE launched a military campaign, also backed by the west, to drive out the Houthis.
