The Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, is an Islamist rebel movement fighting in the Yemen Civil War.
They are primarily made up of Shia Muslims and their name comes from their leadership being primarily from the Houthi tribe.
The group is thought to have its roots to Yemeni youth movements but were believed to have become radicalized and eventually emerged in the early 2000s as an opposition movement against then-Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Its leader at the time, Hussein al-Houthi, was killed by Yemeni troops in 2004. Abdul-Malik al-Houthi currently leads the organization.
The Houthis aided in the overthrow of Saleh in the 2011 Yemeni Revolution, and in 2014, they managed to seize control of the capital city of Saana, sparking the still-ongoing Yemeni civil war.
Widely believed to be an Iran-backed proxy group, the Houthis are also known for their antisemitic views. Their slogan is "God is the Greatest. Death to America. Death to Israel. A Curse Upon the Jews. Victory to Islam."
Following the October 7 massacre in 2023, the Houthis began launching numerous ballistic missile and drone strikes against Israel, as well as attacking ships in the Red Sea. This has launched numerous tit-for-tat strikes between Ansar Allah and the Jewish state.
After one month in office, Biden reversed the Houthis designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, the White House said.
The vessel's crew is made up of 25 nationals from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania, the ship's owner Galaxy Maritime said.
The war in Yemen began in 2014, when Houthi fighters swept into the capital, Sanaa, and took over government institutions.
The multiple articles about the Houthis in Iranian state media show how important this group is to Iran these days.
The HOCC said the Houthis would stop targeting Israeli-linked ships "upon the full implementation of all phases of the agreement."
In a pre-recorded speech delivered through Hamas’s outlets, Al-Jazeera, spokesperson Abu Obeida also lauded Iran and its proxies and warned against attempts to integrate Israel in the region.
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The Houthis launched missiles at Israel ahead of the ceasefire, signaling a readiness for further conflict.
The missile had triggered sirens across central Israel which sounded in major cities including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
"If the Israeli massacres continue, we will continue our operations," Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech.
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