This Word Means: Houthi

This also marks the first major US military action since President Donald Trump assumed office in January. Trump said in a post on the social media platform Truth Social, “To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!”

WHO ARE THE HOUTHIS?

The Houthis are Zaydi Shias. Zayadism is a sub-sect of Shia Islam which believes in following the lineage of the Prophet Muhammad’s family as the political leader of the state.

They have been engaged in a civil war for more than a decade now, with the balance tilting in their favour in recent years. They control Yemen’s capital Sanaa. Iran, a Shia-majority country, is believed to back the Houthis, while its regional rival, the Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia (along with Western allies like the US) backs the Yemen government.

In late 2023, the Houthis began attacking ships passing through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Apart from the existing geopolitical rivalries, Israel’s military assault on the Gaza Strip triggered their actions. Subsequently, the US and the UK struck Houthi bases as retaliation. Because of uncertainty in the region, several shipping companies have stopped their movement and are instead choosing the route around South Africa, resulting in a longer and more expensive journey.

Israel also struck several locations in Yemen, including the airport in Sanaa, in December 2024. This was aimed at expanding its ongoing campaign against Iran and the so-called “axis of resistance”, the group of various Iran-backed political actors in the Middle East that help protect its regional interests. The Palestinian militant group Hamas is also a part of this coalition.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X, “End support for Israeli genocide and terrorism. Stop killing of Yemeni people.”

WHAT’S BEHIND THE US ATTACK?

The Houthis had paused their attacks after a ceasefire took effect in Gaza in January. However, Israel stopped the flow of aid into Gaza in March to pressure Hamas to release the hostages of the October 7 attacks. The Houthis then announced a deadline for aid to resume, failing which they threatened to resume their attacks.

In his post, Trump wrote of the Houthis: “They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones.” He added that the Houthis have “choked off shipping in one of the most important Waterways of the World” and that his predecessor Joe Biden had a “pathetically weak” response to it.

Trump also wrote: “To Iran: Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY! Do NOT threaten the American People, their President, who has received one of the largest mandates in Presidential History, or Worldwide shipping lanes. If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!”