The Houthis are a group that has become very strong, and people are wondering about their origins and how they gained their power. There's also curiosity about what their strength means for the situation in the Red Sea going forward. The Houthis represent a minority community from the mountainous north-western part of Yemen.

The Houthis are named after Hussein Al-Houthi, who started their movement. They battled Yemen's powerful leader in the early 2000s. Then, when he was removed by the Arab Spring demonstrations, they moved to the capital, Sana'a, and took control in 2014.The former President Saleh, upset about being removed from power, gave his faithful Republican Guard to the Houthis. This help allowed them to control areas where over 80% of Yemen's people live. Following this, the Houthis quickly assassinated him.

The Arab Spring was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It started in Tunisia in December 2010 and quickly moved to countries like Egypt, Libya, and Yemen, demanding political freedom and an end to corruption.

Since the Houthis took control, Yemen, which was already the least wealthy Arab country, has been devastated by a terrible civil war. Around 150,000 people have died, and millions now rely on aid for food because of the conflict. For seven years, the Houthis have withstood a large but unsuccessful effort by a group of countries, led by Saudi Arabia, to remove them. Saudi Arabia was concerned about the Houthis' connections with Iran, their main opponent.

Mohammed Al-Basha, a Middle East specialist at Navanti, a consultancy in Virginia, told the BBC that the Houthis have developed a winning attitude from winning many battles over twenty years. From 2015 to 2022, the Houthis showed strong resistance and successfully stopped a group of countries led by Saudi Arabia from bringing back the government that is recognized around the world to power in Sana'a, which is the capital of Yemen.

Starting from mid-November 2023, the Houthis have been using their large collection of missiles and drones to attack ships that come near the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, a very narrow and important spot. The Bab Al-Mandeb Strait is a crucial passage at the southern end of the Red Sea, linking it to the Indian Ocean. It's a key route for global trade, especially for oil shipments.

Their goal was to target ships connected to Israel to help Hamas. They promised to keep up these attacks until Israel stops its actions in Gaza. When American and British navy ships defended cargo ships near Yemen's Red Sea coast, the Houthis attacked these warships. In one of these encounters, the Houthis lost three of their fast boats and 10 sailors in a significantly unequal battle with the US Navy.

Despite that defeat, attacking the US and British navies, according to Mohammed Al-Basha, highlights the Houthis' feeling of victory and creates a strong sense of pride among them. This makes some members believe that they have God's support and that history is on their side.

The Houthis, who mostly practice Zaidi Shia Islam in a country where most people are Sunni Muslims, make up about 15% of Yemen's population. Yet, they believe they are the rightful leaders of Yemen. Edmund Fitton-Brown, who served as the UK ambassador to Yemen from 2015 to 2017, described the Houthis as being more inclined towards war, violence, and cruelty compared to the rest of the population. He shared these observations with the BBC.

For a long time, the United Nations and other parties have been trying hard to stop the civil war in Yemen. The Saudis, who support Yemen's recognized but overthrown government, have managed to reach a delicate peace agreement with the Houthis. Edmund Fitton-Brown, who had some experience talking with them in these discussions, said it was extremely challenging.

They were tough to deal with, unfriendly, unpredictable, and often lost temper., showed up late, or left meetings suddenly. They demanded to be treated like very important people and always wanted to have Qat, also spelled khat is a plant whose leaves are chewed for their mild stimulant effects. Their behaviour during peace discussions greatly annoyed their hosts in Kuwait, causing a lot of frustration.

Since the Houthis started attacking ships and the US and UK fought back by bombing their missile sites, there have been big protests approved by the government against Western countries in the capital.

Al-Basha says that by standing against what many people in northern Yemen see as outside groups, like the US, UK, and the group led by Saudi Arabia, and by fighting against Israel to help Gaza, the Houthis have become more popular. He also says that today, Yemen is still split, with groups opposing the Houthis found in areas of northeastern Yemen, Maarib, Taiz, and the southern regions. It seems doubtful that the Houthis would win if there was an honest and open election.

Fitton-Brown explains that the Houthis make people join protests on the streets by scaring them. They organize protests, they announce these days as no-work days and expect people to show up at the protests. Many joined them because they needed a job and wanted to make money. In places they don't control, people really dislike them. Despite this, they continue to launch missiles.

The Houthis appear to have a never-ending amount of drones and weapons to use against ships, with a lot of it coming from Iran. They get these supplies through secret deliveries by small boats at sea or by smuggling them across the desert border with Oman. It's unlikely that this situation will end with the Houthis giving up. "They don't want to be embarrassed," Fitton-Brown says.

If there's a ceasefire in Gaza, the Houthis might take the chance to say they've won, claiming they reached their goals. If Iran starts to worry that what the Houthis are doing could be dangerous for them, Iran has enough power to make the Houthis find a way to stop. For now, nothing is changing in the southern Red Sea; it's a stalemate.

The Houthis are not giving up, even though many of their missile launching places have been destroyed by air strikes led by the US. They still have a lot of weapons left, and it seems they want to increase the tension by getting ready to use missiles that can shoot down planes from Western countries. The southern Red Sea and the nearby Gulf of Aden will continue to be unsafe places for some time to come. (IPA Service)