The Houthi rebels’ have announced their support for the anti-Saleh protesters, although it’s unclear what their end goals are. The rebel group, based in Yemen’s northwest, has been clashing with the Sunni-led central government and army since 2004. They consider their branch of Shiite Islam to be threatened by Saudi Arabia, whose Wahhabi strain of Islam is at odds with theirs and whose leaders have helped Saleh put down the rebellion along their shared borders. Houthis are also angry at the lack of economic assistance from Sanaa to their region of the country.
The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of being an Iranian terrorist group.
