Who are the Houthis, and why have they declared war against Israel?

Yemen's Houthi rebels, a faction alligned with the "Axis of Resistance" backed by Iran, have officially entered the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, signalling a significant escalation of the ongoing situation in West Asia.

According to Reuters, the Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, on Tuesday, October 31, confirmed their engagement in the war, saying that they had launched a "large number" of ballistic missiles and drones towards Israel.

ALSO READ: The Israel-Palestine conflict explained for dummies

ALSO READ: Why Hezbollah matters in the Israel-Hamas war

Houthis enter the war

• The official statement also confirms the Sanaa-based fraction's drone attack leading to explosions in Egypt on October 28 and the US Navy's interception of three cruise missiles on October 19.
• The recent and third attack on Tuesday, October 7, coupled with the clarification marks their official entry and the war expanding.
• However, Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center told Reuters, that at this stage, the attacks are "more about messaging than a real military threat".

However, this does not mean that the Government of Yemen, with its capital in exile in Aden, is at war with Israel.

ALSO READ: Hamas's attack on Israel isn't just about Palestine, they want a piece of Arab-Israeli normalisation too

Who are the Houthis? 

• The Zaidi Shia (a branch of Islam exclusive to Yemen) rebels are based in the southern city of Sanaa, which is more than 1,600 away from the theatre of war in Gaza and more so, from the Israeli-Lebanon border up north.
• The Houthis are a significant part of the "Axis of Resistance," a coalition that opposes both Israel and the United States. 

ALSO READ: Benjamin Netanyahu echoes George W Bush's 'Axis of Evil' while he taunts Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas

• Their slogan probably sums it up: "God is the greatest, death to America, death to Israel, cursed be the Jews, victory to Islam".
• This coalition has been active in launching attacks across West Asia since the 1990s.
• Other actors in the "Axis of Resistance" include Iran-backed Iraqi groups, Lebanon's Hezbollah, etc, that have targeted US assets in Iraq and Syria.

ALSO READ: UNRWA refuting the Hamas warehouse heist just follows allegations of going easy on Hamas

• The Houthi rebels have demonstrated their missile and drone capabilities during their conflict with a Saudi-led coalition.
• Thomas Juneau, a professor at the University of Ottawa told the Associated Press, “It was just a matter of time before they would be able to do this,” noting the rebels’ are developing advanced missiles with Iranian assistance.
• The Saudi-led coalition has accused Iran of providing support to the Houthis, including arming, training, and funding them. However, the Houthis deny being an Iranian proxy and claim to develop their weapons, according to Reuters.
• On the other hand, Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, indicated that Tehran's allies, including the Houthis, might take further action, saying, "resistance groups will not remain silent in the face of the Zionist regime's crimes and America's full support for the Zionist regime."

The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia have designated the rebels as a terrorist group.

ALSO READ: The Church of Saint Porphyrius was falsely claimed to be bombed. Now Israel actually bombed it.

Saudi concerns

• The Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israel present risks for Saudi Arabia, with whom it has engaged in long-standing conflict.
• The direct flight path for these missile projectiles passes over western Saudi Arabia near the Red Sea, which the Saudis will be weary of.
• That's because many times the Houthi missiles do not strike their intended targets.
• The Saudi government has not yet commented on these attacks, but the situation has raised apprehensions about the conflict affecting Saudi territory.

• Yemen has experienced relative calm for over a year, with ongoing peace efforts led by the United Nations.
• Saudi Arabia had been in talks with the Houthis to bring an end to the hostilities. However, the recent Houthi attacks on Israel have introduced new complexities and concerns for Saudi Arabia.
• Saudi analyst Aziz Alghashian told Reuters, "I think the problem is that this war has the potential to put Saudi in a position where it is seen to take sides between the US and Israel, and Iran."
• He added, "I think Saudi wants to avoid that."

ALSO READ: How Israel's timely help during the Kargil war helped India hammer Pakistan