In September 2014, the Houthis carried out a coup d’état, seizing the capital Sanaa and overthrowing Yemen’s internationally recognized government. That same year, the Houthis attempted to extend their control into South Yemen, advancing on Aden. Iran and the Houthis: A strategic partnershipThe Houthis’s endurance has been made possible in large part due to Iran’s support. Iran uses the Houthis as a proxy force to exert influence across the Red Sea and pressure Saudi Arabia and Israel. What began as a local insurgency has now drawn in Iran, Israel and regional powers, making Yemen’s crisis a fault line of Middle Eastern geopolitics.