Who are Houthis?

About Houthis:

• The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah (Partisans of God), are an Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim military and political movement in Yemen.
• Its members, who subscribe to the minority Zaidi sect of Shiite Islam, advocate regional autonomy for Zaidis in northern Yemen. 
  • Shiite Muslims are the minority community in the Islamic world, and Zaidis are a minority of Shiites, significantly different in doctrine and beliefs from the Shiites who dominate in Iran, Iraq, and elsewhere.
  • They are a minority in Yemen, which is predominantly Sunni Muslim, but they are a significant one, numbering in the hundreds of thousands and making up as much as a third of the overall population.
• The group emerged in the 1990s and takes its name from the movement's late founder, Hussein al-Houthi. 
• The Houthi movement began as an effort to maintain tribal autonomy in northern Yemenand protest Western influence in the Middle East.
• They have been fighting Yemen’s Sunni-majority government since 2004. 
• The Houthis took over the Yemeni capital Sanaa in September 2014 and seized control over much of north Yemen by 2016. Currently, Houthis controls approximately one-third of Yemen’s territory.
• Today, the Houthis seek a greater role in the Yemeni government and continue to advocate for Zaidi minority interests.
• The movement is known for its virulently anti-American and anti-Semitic rhetoric.
• Several of the group’s leaders have been designated as terrorists by the United States.