Yemeni politics are incredibly complex and volatile. A Zaydi imamate ruled Yemen for 1,000 years, before being overthrown in 1962. Since then, the Zaydis – stripped of their political power – have struggled to restore their authority and influence in Yemen. In the 1980s, the Houthi clan began a movement to revive Zaydi traditions, feeling threatened by state-funded Salafist preachers who established a base in Houthi areas. Not all Zaydis, however, align with the Houthi movement.
The American invasion of Iraq in 2003 deeply radicalized the Houthi movement, like it did many other Arabs. It was a pivotal moment. The group also officially called itself ‘’Ansar Allah’’, or supporters of God. It was a turning point largely unrecognized outside Yemen, another unanticipated consequence of Iraq invasion.
The Houthis is a Zaydi Shiite movement that has been fighting Yemen’s Sunni-majority government since 2004. In September 2014, Yemen entered into a new political era. The Houthis took control of the Yemeni capital Sanaa in September 2014 and continued on towards Aden, Yemen's largest city. In response to Houthi advances, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states launched a military campaign in March 2015.
Yemeni officials and Sunni states, most notably Saudi Arabia, have repeatedly alleged that Iran and its proxy Hezbollah have provided arms, training, and financial support to the Houthis. But Iranian and Hezbollah officials have denied or downplayed the claims. The situation further deteriorated when the Houthis killed ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh on December 4, 2017.
The #Houthi takeover in #Yemen, also known as the September 21 Revolution (by supporters) or coup d'état (by opponents), was a popular revolution against Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi led by the Houthis and their supporters that pushed the Yemeni government from power. The aftermath of the Houthi takeover in Yemen, refering to developments following the Houthis' takeover of the #Yemeni capital of Sana'a and dissolution of the government, is a civil war as well as the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.
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