PDB Special Bulletin | The Houthis: Iran’s Deadly Proxy in the Red Sea | PDB Special Report
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Who are the Houthis and what is their origin?
Welcome to a special edition of the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. In this special edition of the PDB, I want to focus on a group that's been making headlines and drawing US military action. And that, of course, would be the Houthis of Yemen. You ask yourself, who are they, where'd they come from, and why is the U.S. currently engaged in military operations against them? Those are all very good questions. Hopefully, we'll be able to provide you with some answers. Now, if you're a regular listener to the PDB, you should know that this isn't a news story, but it's escalated in ways that affect global trade, U.S. security, and U.S. naval operations.
So, let's break it down step by step, starting with who these guys are, their role in Yemen, their ties to Iran, and why they've created such waves in the Red Sea. Oh, see what I did there? Pun intended. The group we all know as the Houthis are officially called Ansar Allah, or Supporters of God. They're a movement that emerged in Yemen in the 1990s. They're named after Hussein al-Khouti, that's a Zaydi Shia cleric, who founded the group to push back against Yemen's government and what he saw as foreign interference, particularly from the United States and Saudi Arabia. Now, the Zaydis are a Shia Muslim sect unique to Yemen, distinct from the larger Shia branch that's tied to Iran. Think of it like the difference between Methodists and Anglicans in Christianity. Both are Protestant, but they've got their own histories and practices and flavors of belief. The original founder, Hussein, was killed by Yemeni forces in 2004, and his brother, Abdulmalik al-Khouti, now leads the group.
Their roots go back to Yemen's northern highlands, where Zaydi Imams once ruled for centuries until a Republican government took over in the 20th century. By the 1990s, the Houthis were organizing to revive Zaydi influence and resist a central government that they viewed as corrupt and beholden to outside powers.
What are the Houthis' goals and beliefs?
Their stated goals include controlling Yemen, defending their community, and opposing the United States, Israel, and their regional allies. Now, that opposition isn't just talk. It's literally written on their flag. It's on their flag. Their official slogan, called the Sarka, reads, God is the greatest, death to America, death to Israel, curse be upon the Jews, victory to Islam, end quote. That's quite the slogan. It's not particularly inclusive. It's a clear declaration, frankly, of their stance and who their enemies are. Now, let's talk about how they went from upstart rebel group to basically running the show in Yemen. The Houthis rose to prominence during the Yemen Civil War, which began back in 2014.
How did the Houthis rise to power in Yemen?
Yemen's political situation had been unstable since the Arab Spring in 2011, when longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced out. His successor, Mansour Hadi, struggled to hold the country together. and in 2014, the Houthis allied with Saleh, despite their past conflicts, and seized the capital Sana'a, driving Hadi's government south to Aden. Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia in 2015, and a Saudi-led coalition stepped in to restore him, launching airstrikes and a blockade against the Houthis. Iran backed the Houthis in this fight, so you can see where this is going, turning it into a proxy war between Saudi Arabia's Sunni coalition and Iran's Shia-aligned interests. The conflict has reportedly killed hundreds of thousands, it's displaced millions, and left Yemen in a humanitarian crisis marked by famine and disease. The Houthis have held Sana'a in much of western Yemen since 2014, even after a fragile ceasefire with Saudi Arabia in 2022. Hadi's government, recognized internationally, remains in Aden but really has very, very little control.
The Houthis are effectively the governing power in the northwest, with a military capable of challenging bigger players. Iran's support is a key factor in the Houthis' strength. They're part of Iran's so-called axis of resistance. That's the network of anti-Western, anti-Israel groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and, of course, Hamas in Gaza, with the oft-stated goal of destroying Israel.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Who are the Houthis and what is their origin?
0:12–2:23
2
What are the Houthis' goals and beliefs?
2:23–3:09
3
How did the Houthis rise to power in Yemen?
3:09–4:47
4
What role does Iran play in supporting the Houthis?
4:47–5:33
5
What is the impact of the Houthi conflict on Yemen?
5:33–6:19
6
What is the situation in the Red Sea regarding Houthi actions?
6:19–11:05
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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September 22nd, 2026: Trump Calls Off Major Attack Against The Houthis & Chinese Ships Near Alaska