Who are the Houthis – explained in 30 seconds

The Guardian runs a quick explainer on the Houthis, framing them as the dominant force in Yemen and a recurring disruptor of Red Sea trade because of their location near a key shipping corridor. The piece recaps their rise since the early 2000s, the 2014 takeover of Sana’a, and the civil war that followed, before noting the group’s role in destabilising global supply chains via attacks on international shipping after 7 October 2023. The article says Houthi attacks stopped after the October 2025 US-brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire, but the group fired missiles at Israel on 28 March and vowed to continue military operations until Israel ends its campaign. It also reiterates the US position that Iran has armed, funded and trained the Houthis, which the group denies, underscoring the regional proxy-risk backdrop. For precious metals, the near-term relevance is through geopolitics and any renewed Red Sea/shipping risk premium rather than direct bullion flow data. A sustained escalation would support safe-haven demand and could reprice risk across broader commodities if trade routes are again disrupted; watch for follow-through from the 28 March missile fire and any renewed maritime incidents over the coming days.