Who are the Houthis and why are they attacking Israel?

Houthi là ai và vì sao họ tấn công Israel? - 1 — Houthi group members fire anti-tank grenades during a military exercise near Sanaa, Yemen on October 30 (Photo: Reuters).

In a statement on November 2 local time, the Houthi group in Yemen announced the use of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to attack the Jewish state.

The Houthi attacks on Israel have raised concerns about the risk of wider conflict in the Middle East and have focused international attention on the rebel group, whose power base is in the capital Sanaa.

So who are the Houthis and why are they attacking Israel?

The Houthis are a Shiite political and military organization in Yemen that is waging a civil war in the country against a Saudi-backed coalition.

Since the late 1990s, the Houthi family in far northern Yemen has founded a religious revival movement for the Zaydi sect of Shiite Islam, which once ruled Yemen but whose northern heartland has become impoverished and marginalized.

As the conflict with the government escalated, they waged a series of guerrilla wars with the national army and led to a brief border conflict with the Sunni Muslim powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

Civil War in Yemen

The war began in late 2014 when the capital Sanaa was seized by the Houthis. Concerned about the growing Shiite influence along its borders, Saudi Arabia led a Western-backed coalition and intervened in Yemen’s civil war in March 2015 to support the Riyadh-backed government.

The Houthi group has established control over much of northern Yemen and other major population centers, while the internationally recognized government is based in Aden.

Yemen has enjoyed more than a year of relative peace amid a UN-led peace effort. Saudi Arabia has held talks with the Houthis in an effort to end the war.

But now, the Houthis' surprise attacks on Israel have raised the risk of conflict for Saudi Arabia.

Attack on Israel

In a televised statement, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had launched “a large number” of ballistic missiles and drones towards Israel on October 31 and that more such attacks would be carried out “to help the Palestinians win”.

There have been three Houthi attacks on Israel since the conflict began, Saree said, seemingly confirming that they were behind a drone attack on October 28 in an Egyptian border town, and an attack on October 19 that was intercepted by the US Navy with three cruise missiles.

The Houthis have voiced support for Palestinians and organized protests in Yemen against Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Mr Saree blamed Israel for instability in the Middle East, saying the “circle of conflict” in the region was widening due to Tel Aviv’s “continuous crimes”. The Houthis would continue to carry out attacks “until Israel’s aggression stops”.

Relations with Iran?

The Houthis have demonstrated their missile and UAV capabilities in the Yemen war with attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), mainly targeting oil facilities and critical infrastructure.

The Saudi-led coalition accuses Iran of arming, training and funding the Houthis, a charge the group denies and insists it develops its own weapons.

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