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Ansar Allah أنصار الله | |
|---|---|
 The slogan and emblem of Ansar Allah | |
| Leader | Abdul-Malik al-Houthi |
| Spokesperson | Mohammed Abdul Salam |
| Founder | Hussein al-Houthi |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Political orientation | Anti-imperialism Anti-Zionism |
| International affiliation | Axis of Resistance |
Ansar Allah (Supporters of God), often referred to as the Houthis, is an anti-imperialist Shia Islamic movement in Yemen. After overthrowing the corrupt US-backed regime in 2014,[1] it has been fighting against the Saudi invasion of Yemen since 2015 and opposes U.S. presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden.[2] Ansar Allah and its allies control territory that holds 80% of the Yemeni population.[3]
History[edit | edit source]
Ansar Allah was originally founded in the 1990s as Al-Shabab al-Mumin (the Believing Youth), in the governorate of Saada. Initially the group was an unarmed theological group aimed at reviving Zaydi Shia Islam and countering the threat of state-backed Sunni Salafism.[4]
The group was sharply critical of the government of president Ali Abdullah Saleh, and its ties to the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, which only grew following the start of the Iraq War. The movement participated in mass protests against the war and adopted its famous slogan "Death to America, Death to Israel." Saleh ,a supporter of the Iraq war, perceived the protests as a threat and led a draconian crackdown .[4]
In 2004 the tension between Al-Shabab al-Mumin and the Yemeni government boiled over, sparking a series of, six internal conflicts known as the Saada Wars in which Saleh was backed by the Saudis. The clashes, started as a result of Yemen's assassination of the group's leader Hussein al-Houthi, triggered several rounds of fighting lasting until 2010. Since then the group would become known to the West as the Houthis.[4]
In 2011 as anti-government protests erupted, as part of the wider Arab Spring protests, Al-Shabab al-Mumin joined the protests and formally adopted the name Ansar Allah. The subsequent ousting of Saleh triggered a sweeping power vacuum allowing Ansar Allah to rapidly expand its territorial dominance, and by 2012 they had consolidated firm control across large swathes of northern Yemen. [4]
In 2012, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, vice president to Saleh, was chosen by the government to be the President with the backing of the Gulf States and the Obama administration. In late 2014 Ansar Allah would strategically ally with the pro-Saleh forces against the Hadi government, and soon after Ansar Allah took the capitalm Sanaa, forcing Hadi to flee the country and start the Yemeni Civil War with Saudi backing.[4]
Anti-imperialist actions[edit | edit source]
Following Al-Aqsa Flood, in solidarity with Gaza, Ansar Allah began strikes against ships serving Zionist interests in the Red Sea on 31 October 2023, including a Norwegian oil tanker delivering oil to the Zionist Entity.[5] Using locally-produced derivatives of Iranian standoff munition designs, including single-use strike drones and a variety of anti-ship missiles (AShMs),[6] Ansar Allah's blockade against the Zionist Entity compelled merchant vessels to state their non-affiliation with Zionist interests, and at times involved operations to capture uncooperative vessels using fast boats and helicopters. Despite NATO's efforts to break this blockade through Operation Prosperity Guardian,[7][8] Ansar Allah were successful in reducing the flow of trade towards the Zionist Entity, being stated by bourgeois media as one of the key factors in the bankruptcy and closure of the Port of Eilat,[9][10][11] the Entity's only port within the Red Sea.[12][13][14]
International relations[edit | edit source]
Although Ansar Allah is an independent group, it has political and media support from Iran. It is strongly opposed to Zionism and supports the government of Venezuela, and formerly the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, against Western aggression.[1]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ben Norton (2021-01-12). "US backs al-Qaeda in Yemen while dubbing its Houthi enemies ‘terrorists’" The Grayzone. Archived from the original on 2023-05-29.
- ↑ Ahmed Abdulkareem (2021-03-27). "As Tide Turns, Houthis Reject US, Saudi “Peace” Deals for the Recycled Trash They Are" MintPress News. Archived from the original on 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
- ↑ ANSWER Coalition (2019-01-07). "12 things you should know about Yemen" Liberation News. Archived from the original on 2020-11-07. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Aseel Saleh (2026-09-17). "Over a decade of war in Yemen and the rise of Ansar Allah" Breakthrough News. Archived from the original on 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Jane Cutter (2023-12-23). "Who are the Houthis?" Liberation News. Archived from the original on 2023-12-23.
- ↑ Conflict Armament Research (2017). Iranian technology transfers to Yemen.
- ↑ "US navy says sank three Houthi boats and killed crews after attack on cargo ship" (2024-01-01). Morning Star. Archived from the original on 2024-01-01.
- ↑ "Yemen's control of Bab al-Mandab 'deepens crisis' in Israel" (2026-09-18). Press TV. Archived from the original on 2026-09-18.
- ↑ "Israel's Eilat Port sees 85% drop in activity amid Red Sea Houthi attacks" (21 December 2023). Reuters.
- ↑ "Eilat Port to lay off half its staff due to Houthi attacks stymieing shipping trade" (20 March 2024).
- ↑ "Attacks on Red Sea shipping bankrupt Israeli port" (10 July 2024). SeatradeMaritime.
- ↑ "Israel says Eilat Port 'bankrupt' after months of Houthi naval blockade" (16 July 2024). Middle East Monitor.
- ↑ "Debt crisis forces Israel to suspend operations at Port of Eilat" (2025-07-21). Baird Maritime / Work Boat World.
- ↑ "Israel’s Red Sea port of Eilat halts operations due to Yemeni-Houthi blockade" (Jul 20, 2025). The Irish Times.