Ansar, Allah, leader, Abdul-Malik, al-Houthi, speech. Ansar Allah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi announces the resumption of his group's attacks on Israel in response to its blocking aid to the Gaza Strip during a March 12 speech. The National Campaign in Support of Al-Aqsa/Ansar Allah
A source within Ansar Allah, widely known as the Houthi movement, has told Newsweek that the Yemeni group was taking heightened measures to safeguard its leader as he threatened to resume attacks against ships linked to Israel.
After issuing an ultimatum last Friday, Ansar Allah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi declared Wednesday that his group would restart the campaign of missile and drone strikes that have targeted more than 100 vessels considered tied to Israel in response to the country's blockade of humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip.
The campaign was halted in January after a deal was reached between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement calling for a temporary ceasefire, the exchange of prisoners and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza. Last week, however, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that assistance would be withheld from Gaza in order to pressure Hamas to extend the current ceasefire terms rather than proceed to the second phase aimed at negotiating a lasting peace.
Following Houthi's latest speech, an Ansar Allah source told Newsweek that the group would now pursue a policy of "a siege for a siege until the siege on Gaza is lifted and the Zionist enemy returns to the agreement it previously agreed to and then renounced."
The Ansar Allah source also asserted that Israel's track record of targeting the top leadership of enemy factions, including Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, would not deter the group, even if the Houthi's security was considered a priority.
"As for targeting leaders and the policy of assassinations, we are essentially proceeding with extreme caution, but at the same time, we are highly prepared to make sacrifices and cannot back down," the Ansar Allah source said.
"Despite this," the source added, "the enemy understands that we do not operate with a policy of reserving the right to respond, and that any escalation by the enemy will be met with escalation without hesitation or reservation."
Newsweek has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.
Why This Matters
Ansar Allah has established a reputation as one of the most formidable factions of the Iran-aligned "Axis of Resistance" coalition that intervened in the war in Gaza in support of Hamas. The group began firing missiles and drones against Israel just weeks after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack against Israel that sparked the conflict and soon after started targeting ships accused of conducting trade with Israel in the Red and Arabian Seas.
The unprecedented campaign led to severe disruptions in global trade and soaring international shipping costs. And while Israel has managed to kill much of the top leadership of Hamas and Hezbollah, Ansar Allah has emerged with relatively little damage as it defied numerous rounds of strikes from both Israel and the United States to continue its long-range offensive until the January ceasefire.
President Donald Trump's administration has also set its sights on increasing pressure on Ansar Allah, restoring the group's place on the list of U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations last week. His predecessor, then-President Joe Biden, had removed the group shortly after coming to office in 2021, citing the difficulties for humanitarian organizations operating in Yemen.
Netanyahu's government, meanwhile, has previously threatened Ansar Allah leadership, with Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen warning in December that if Houthi "continues with his actions, he will end up exactly like [slain Hamas Political Bureau chief Yahya] Sinwar and [slain Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan] Nasrallah."
What to Know
Ansar Allah began as a revival movement for Yemen's sizeable Zaidi Shiite Muslim sect in the 1990s and began to grow in size and influence through the turn of the century. The group was headed by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi's elder brother, Hussein al-Houthi, until his death at the hands of Yemeni security forces in 2004.
Under Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, Ansar Allah participated in the demonstrations linked to the regional Arab Spring protest movement that ultimately toppled longtime Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2012, but the group continued to seize territory. By early 2015, Ansar Allah seized the capital Sanaa, forcing Yemen's government into exile and prompting an intervention by a Saudi-led coalition.
A ceasefire brokered by the United Nations in April 2022 has left the country effectively divided. Ansar Allah is in control of a third of the country's territory, including the capital, and up to 80 percent of its population, while the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council and United Arab Emirates-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council lead from the southern port city of Aden.
Iran has always denied providing arms to Ansar Allah, despite intelligence claims from the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia.
What People Are Saying
Ansar Allah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi during his speech Wednesday: "Any Israeli vessel crossing the declared area of operations will be targeted. This is a practical step and a necessary position in response to the aggressive escalation taken by the Israeli enemy against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
"What the Israeli enemy did by preventing the entry of aid to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and also by closing the crossings and preventing the entry of any food supplies within the framework of the movement of trade in any form means a complete closure and a complete siege, it aims to starve the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and to starve two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. This is a major crime described by all descriptions of major crimes. It is a war crime, a crime against humanity."
U.S. State Department readout of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's meeting Monday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: "The leaders discussed Yemen and threats to navigation from Houthi terrorists that threaten global commerce, American interests, and Saudi citizens and infrastructure."
What Happens Next
If acted upon, Ansar Allah's threat could lead to added woes not just for Israel, but also Trump as he already contends with the economic impact of his tariff wars. A senior Ansar Allah official had told Newsweek shortly after Trump's election victory in November that the incoming U.S. leader could alleviate the burden on U.S. taxpayers by halting "the American aggression against Yemen" and ending "its support for the aggression on Gaza."
On the other hand, Trump has also displayed a willingness to take out enemy leaders, most notably in the killing of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Major General Qassem Soleimani in 2020, and Netanyahu has been emboldened by blows dealt to Iran and Axis of Resistance factions elsewhere in the region. Both could seek to escalate in response to new operations from Ansar Allah.
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This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 4:33 PM.