Ansar Allah
Yemen's Houthi-led movement controlling northern Yemen; Iran-aligned and threatening direct intervention in the 2026 war.
Last refreshed: 28 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
They sat out the first month of the Iran war. Now they're firing at Israel and threatening to close the world's second oil chokepoint.
Latest on Ansar Allah
- What is Ansar Allah?
- The formal name for the Houthi movement, a Zaydi Shia group that has governed northern Yemen from Sanaa since 2014. It controls territory with over 70% of Yemen's population and is aligned with Iran.
- Have the Houthis attacked Israel in 2026?
- Ansar Allah fired Ballistic Missiles at Israeli military sites on 28 March 2026, their first attack since the Iran conflict began. They had sat out the first month at Tehran's request.Source: event
- Will the Houthis close the Bab al-Mandeb?
- A Houthi minister warned in late March 2026 that closure of the Bab al-Mandeb strait was under active consideration. Combined with Iran's Hormuz blockade, this would shut two of three critical global oil chokepoints.Source: event
- How many ships did the Houthis attack in the Red Sea?
- Between late 2023 and 2025, Ansar Allah launched over 100 attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, halving traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb and triggering the largest naval escort operation since the Cold War.
- Houthis vs Hezbollah military capability?
- Both are Iranian-backed but operate differently. Hezbollah has precision rockets and ground forces for border operations. Ansar Allah specialises in long-range Ballistic Missiles, anti-ship weapons, and drone systems capable of threatening maritime chokepoints.
Background
The Zaydi Shia movement, commonly called the Houthis, has governed northern and western Yemen from Sanaa since September 2014, controlling territory housing over 70% of Yemen's population. Led by Abdulmalik al-Houthi, it receives weapons, training, and intelligence from Iran's IRGC Quds Force. Between late 2023 and 2025, it launched over 100 attacks on Red Sea commercial shipping in solidarity with Gaza, halving traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb.
Ansar Allah fired Ballistic Missiles at Israel for the first time in the current conflict on 28 March 2026, ending a month of restraint and opening the possibility of a second strategic chokepoint at Bab al-Mandeb. The movement's minister had warned days earlier that closure of the strait was under active consideration.
The movement sat out the first month of the 2026 Iran conflict at Tehran's request, a restraint that surprised analysts given its record of escalation. Its entry now poses a compounding problem: if Ansar Allah blockades Bab al-Mandeb while Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, two of the world's three critical oil transit chokepoints close simultaneously.
