Introduction 

The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, is a Zaydi Shia military organization in Yemen. After joining the 2011 Arab Spring against former President Saleh, they took control of the capital city Sana’a in 2014, spurring the current Yemen Civil War. The rise of the Houthis has prompted security concerns among the Gulf states, ultimately leading to the Saudi intervention in Yemen a year later. 

Iran has long been reported to be the actor sustaining the Houthis’ momentum. According to some experts, Iran's relations with the Houthis could have started as early as 2009 during the organization’s first violent clash with the government, and by the 2014 takeover, Iran was already supplying them with military equipment.

Yet amidst Iran’s own economic crises and protests, the Houthis have recently been asserting their independence from Iran’s proxy tag, rapidly expanding their network to seek other financiers and supporters.  

The Iranian – Houthis Alliance  

Iran has consistently provided the Houthis with military and financial support. Thousands of Houthis militants were trained by the Iranian Qods Force in Hamadan. Most loitering munitions and missiles used by the group are also illegally imported from Iran or locally manufactured by Iranian munition experts. In fact, the Houthis’ drone components closely resemble those seized from the Jihan 1 merchant vessel in 2013, which were bound to Yemen from Iran. 

A 2024 Defense Intelligence Agency report similarly found striking commonalities between the Waid-2 drone display by the Houthis in Sana’a and Iran’s Shahed-13. In the same year, a seized arms shipment that was on its way to the Houthis was revealed to be over 200 packages containing components of ballistic missiles, unmanned surface/aerial vehicles, and military-grade communication and network-related equipment. 

Nonetheless, the Houthis continue to strongly deny associations with Iran. After their drone strike hit the US embassy in Israel, the group asserted Iran had no prior knowledge of this attack and that it had been conducted independently of Iranian support.  

The Expanding Nexus of Houthis 

With Iran occupied with internal disputes, the Houthis have now gone on to form new alliances, decreasing its dependence on Iran. Regionally, the organization has been cooperating with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq on launching joint operation strikes against Israel. An unusual alliance is also forming between the Shia Houthis and Somalia-based Sunni terrorist group Al-Shabaab, with the Houthis supporting the Al-Shabaab in their weapon development.

Internationally, multiple businessmen such as Ali Abd-al-Wahhab Muhammad al-Wazir recently faced US sanctions for supplying the Houthis through foreign-based companies with materials for locally manufacturing weapons. In addition, several Malaysian Shipping companies have been serving US-sanctioned vessels, which are reportedly facilitating weapon transfers to the Houthis.  

Conclusion 

Despite the weakening of Iranian proxies in the Middle East, the Houthis form the strongest of non-state actors in the Middle East and the axis of resistance forces. Through economic and military warfare, the group should now be considered an independent threat to Middle Eastern conflicts and international trade through the Red Sea. 

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