ABSTRACT
In 1962, the Shia Zaydi imamate, which had largely held sway over much of northern Yemen for more than a millennium, was overthrown in a palace coup, which degenerated into a brutal eight-year civil war. An Iranian ship took up position in the Red Sea around that time on the same latitude as the Yemeni port of Midi. Iran provides financial support, military hardware and, most likely, some military advisers, but neither Iranian officers nor Iranian doctrine appear to be integrated into the Houthi command-and-control structure. The Houthis have three main sources of weapons: local stockpiles of light and medium arms; military-weapons depots seized when the Houthis took Sanaa and bases across the country; and smuggled Iranian weapons and military equipment. The Houthis gained much of their training and experience as a tribal militia group that has been fighting nearly continuously since 2004, along with specialised training from regular Yemeni military units affiliated with the movement.
