The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, are a Shia Muslim movement that seek to establish an Iran-influenced theocracy in Yemen. Formed in 1994 by Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, the Houthis grew to 259,000 fighters in 2011, waging war against the government of Ali Abdullah Saleh during the 2000s. The Houthis challenged Sunni dominance of both the government and the Shi'ite northern region of Yemen, and they fought against both the Yemeni Army and al-Qaeda during the war. In 2015, they took power in a coup d'etat and installed Mohammed Ali al-Houthi as the new President of Yemen, so Abd-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi's internationally-recognized government moved to Aden in the south. The Yemeni Civil War began as a result, leading to Saudi Arabia and other nearby Arab countries bombarding the Houthis and their supporters from the air while Yemeni government and al-Qaeda troops fought them on the ground. Their motto, reflecting anti-imperialism and anti-Zionism, stated "God is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam".
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