Who is supporting Houthis in Yemen?

The Houthis are an armed political and religious group in Yemen that champions the country’s Shia Muslim minority, specifically the Zaidis. They declare themselves to be part of the Iranian-led “axis of resistance” against Israel, the US, and the wider West, along with other armed groups such as Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.

The Houthis emerged in the 1980s in opposition to Saudi Arabia’s religious influence in Yemen and represent the Zaidi branch of Shia Islam. Iran has played a significant role in supporting the Houthis. Since 2015, when Saudi Arabia launched its intervention in Yemen, the Houthi movement has deepened its ties with Iran.

The impact of this Iranian-Houthi partnership is increasingly felt beyond Yemen’s borders. While it is difficult to precisely quantify how much of the Houthi movement’s success is due to Iranian support, growing Iranian assistance has certainly played an important role in helping the Houthis become more powerful.

Iran provides the group with small arms and delivers more advanced and lethal weapons as well. Additionally, Iran uses complex smuggling and procurement networks to provide technologically advanced parts that the Houthis combine with other locally acquired or produced ones.

In summary, Iran has helped the Houthis build factories to make drones in Yemen, and they have received military advice and support from the Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is also inside Yemen, serving side-by-side with the Houthis during ongoing attacks on commercial ships. This complex relationship between Iran and the Houthis carries real risks for regional security.