Evolution of Houthis: From Local Movement to Red Sea Power

Recent Houthi advances along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait have increased risks to Saudi oil exports and international shipping.

Origins as a Localised Group

• The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, emerged from a Zaydi Shia religious and cultural revival movement in northern Yemen during the 1990s.
• Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi became a central figure as the movement sought to preserve Zaydi identity amid political and religious marginalisation.
• Tensions with President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s government turned into armed conflict in 2004 after Hussein al-Houthi was killed.
• Between 2004 and 2010, six rounds of fighting took place between the Houthis and the Yemeni government.
• The conflict became increasingly regionalised when fighting spilled across the Saudi border in 2009.

From Insurgency to Parallel State

• Over time, the Houthis expanded territorial control and evolved from an insurgent group into a de facto governing authority in large parts of Yemen.
• After capturing Sanaa in 2014, they developed administrative, security and economic institutions alongside their military structure.
• Their administration raises revenues through taxation, customs and control over economic activity and fuel distribution.
• This institutional structure has enabled the Houthis to sustain military operations while exercising significant control over the population and economy in areas they govern.

Relationship with Iran — ‘Axis of Resistance’

• The Houthis are commonly described as Iran-aligned, with Tehran providing weapons, training, intelligence and technological assistance.
• However, analysts differ on describing them simply as an Iranian “proxy”; some view them as a locally rooted movement with considerable operational autonomy and overlapping strategic interests with Iran.
• Their alignment gives Iran strategic leverage near Saudi Arabia and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
• The Houthis, in turn, benefit from Iranian expertise in missiles, drones and other military technologies.

Houthi Worldview

• Their ideology combines Zaydi religious identity, Yemeni political grievances and anti-Western/anti-Israel rhetoric.
• Over time, their outlook has increasingly converged with Iran’s wider “Axis of Resistance”, while retaining distinct Yemeni political and tribal roots.

Emergence as a Regional Player

• Houthi control or influence over Red Sea coastal territory and areas near Bab el-Mandeb gives the group leverage over one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.
• Their missile and drone capabilities allow them to threaten commercial shipping and targets far beyond Yemen.
• Houthi attacks since 2023 have demonstrated their ability to disrupt international maritime trade and force vessels to reroute around Africa.
• Their rise complicates the security calculations of Saudi Arabia, Yemen’s internationally recognised government, the U.S. and other regional actors.

Strategic Importance of Bab el-Mandeb

• Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, making it critical for trade between Asia and Europe.
• Disruption at the strait can raise shipping times, freight costs, insurance premiums and energy prices.
• Its importance has increased further amid instability around the Strait of Hormuz, making control of Red Sea routes strategically significant.

The Houthis have evolved from a local Zaydi revivalist movement → armed insurgency → de facto governing authority → regional military and maritime actor, with their position near Bab el-Mandeb giving them influence far beyond Yemen.