Ansar Allah (Partisans of God), more widely known as the Houthi movement, originates from the Zaydi Shia minority in the northern governorates of Yemen. Ansar Allah began as a theological movement to protest the dilution of Zaydi identity and later transformed into a military resistance movement. Ansar Allah is an insurgent group engaged in a civil war against the internationally recognized government of Yemen and other non-state actors (such as the Southern Transitional Council and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) since 2004. Since March 2015, a Saudi-led international coalition has been fighting against Ansar Allah, whom they consider Iranian proxies. This entry provides an overview of the movement’s history, and ideology from the establishment of the Zaydi Imamate until 2018, its internal and external relations, and its political-military transformation.
Palik, Júlia (2024) Ansar Allah (Houthi Rebels), in Handbook of Terrorist and Insurgent Groups: A Global Survey of Threats, Tactics, and Characteristics. Boca Raton: CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group (503–514). DOI: 10.4324/9780429426063-60.
