Saudi Arabia has intercepted missiles and drones launched from Yemen, bringing the Houthi movement and its long-running conflict with Riyadh back into focus.

The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, are an armed political and religious movement that emerged in northern Yemen in the 1990s.

The group draws its support largely from Yemen’s Zaydi Shia community and was founded by Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi.

The movement initially emerged as a religious and political group opposed to the policies of Yemen’s government and what it viewed as growing foreign influence.

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It later became an armed force and fought several rounds of conflict with the Yemeni government.

The Houthis captured Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, in 2014. Their takeover pushed the country into a wider civil war and prompted Saudi Arabia to intervene militarily the following year.

Saudi Arabia led a coalition that began airstrikes against the Houthis in 2015.

Riyadh said the intervention was aimed at supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government and preventing the Houthis from consolidating control along Saudi Arabia’s southern border.

The conflict also became part of the wider rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The Houthis have received Iranian support, including weapons and military technology, according to the US and other Western governments.

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Iran has acknowledged political support for the group but has denied directing Houthi military operations.

Over the years, the Houthis have developed and acquired ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.

They have used these weapons against targets in Saudi Arabia, including military facilities, airports, cities and energy infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia has used air-defence systems, including US-made Patriot missile systems, to intercept incoming attacks.

The Houthi arsenal has also been used beyond Saudi Arabia.

Since the escalation of the wider Middle East conflict, the group has launched attacks in the Red Sea and targeted commercial shipping, saying the operations are linked to the war involving Israel and Palestinians.

The Houthis control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sana’a, and areas along the country’s Red Sea coast. They remain one of the country’s most powerful armed groups.

Yemen’s internationally recognised government and allied forces control other parts of the country, while the southern separatist movement and other armed groups also hold territory.

The result is a fragmented country that has struggled to achieve a lasting political settlement.

The Houthis’ geographical position gives them access to the Red Sea and areas close to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a major maritime chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

Attacks on ships in and around the Red Sea have disrupted international shipping and forced some vessels to take longer routes around the Cape of Good Hope. This has made the Houthi conflict an issue extending beyond Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis have opposed the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen and have called for an end to foreign military involvement. Their political position is also strongly opposed to Israel and the United States.

The group has sought to maintain its control over territory in northern Yemen and secure a greater role in any political settlement over the country’s future.

For Saudi Arabia, the priority has been preventing Houthi attacks on its territory and limiting the group’s military capabilities along its southern border.

The conflict has lasted for more than a decade and has contributed to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Despite periods of relative calm and diplomatic efforts, tensions between the Houthis, Saudi Arabia and their respective allies continue to pose a security risk to Yemen and the wider region.