The Houthi rebels have long been backed by Iran and reviled by Saudi Arabia. A Shia group from the mountains of northern Yemen, they have controlled the capital Sanaa and much of Yemen’s Red Sea coast since 2014.
Key background: The Saudis launched a large-scale offensive against the militant group in 2015, and the ensuing seven-year conflict provoked one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
The Houthis survived, with help from Iran and other pro-Iranian groups such as Hezbollah, carrying out missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both of which supported the UN-recognized government the Houthis had driven from Sanaa.
In 2023, the Houthis launched ballistic missiles against Israel in support of Hamas in Gaza, and disrupted Red Sea shipping. That provoked a campaign of US strikes early in 2025, which degraded their capabilities. But they remained defiant, almost relishing their resistance role.
The Trump administration’s determination to eradicate the threat posed by the Houthis ended without success. Ultimately, analysts say, only a ground offensive involving tens of thousands of troops is likely to remove them.
The latest developments: The Houthis have managed to survive a long blockade by Saudi Arabia and last week threatened a campaign against Saudi shipping in the Red Sea unless the blockade was lifted.
They subsequently claimed to have hit two Saudi tankers. Saudi Arabia acknowledged at least one vessel was struck and retaliated with airstrikes against Hodeidah, the main port under Houthi control.
Who are the Houthis and how are they making a power play in Iran-US war?
Oil topped $100 a barrel for the first time since May after Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted Saudi ships in the Red Sea, threatening to cut off another route for oil exports already choked by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. CNN’s Nic Robertson explains who the Iran-backed rebel group is.
Big picture: Analysts now see a real risk of uncontrolled retaliation as each side targets the other, with the growing importance of the Red Sea as a route to export Saudi oil an additional ingredient in a combustible situation.
The southern city of Jizan, which the Houthis said they targeted in strikes on Saturday, is a significant container port for Saudi Arabia and a key site for energy products and electricity generation. Protecting Jizan from regular Houthi strikes has been a prime motivation for past diplomatic efforts.
CNN’s Nic Robertson contributed to this report.
