Yes, the Houthi movement in Yemen is backed by Iran and the two are close allies, although the role and influence of Iran on the Houthi movement is sometimes exaggerated when discussing the broader dynamics of the Middle East region. The Houthi movement originated in Yemen and represents the local interests of certain factions of the Zaydi Muslim community in the northern part of the country. Historically, Zaydi Muslims have had more in common theologically with Shafiʿi Sunnis than with the Twelver Shiʿah in Iran, but some of the Houthi movement’s leading figures studied at seminaries in Qom, Iran, a major center for Shiʿi Muslim intellectualism, and have adopted doctrines and practices taught in those seminaries. Beginning in about 2004, when a government crackdown turned lethal, the movement attained arms from raiding government arsenals, through the black market, and from members of the Yemeni armed forces who joined their ranks. Some members of the Houthi movement subsequently trained in Lebanon with Hezbollah, another close ally of Iran, and the so-called Axis of Resistance led by Iran and Hezbollah began to bud. Emerging tensions in 2009 with Saudi Arabia, one of Iran’s principal rivals, further aligned Houthi interests with those of Iran. However, the large-scale armament and training of Houthi fighters by Iran did not take place until the Yemeni Civil War (2014– ) and only after Saudi involvement on the other side of that conflict. Although the Houthi movement coordinates closely with Iran on a level typical of an alliance, it acts on its own interests (rather than on the direction of Iran) and operates independently of Iran.
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