After months of relatively minimal involvement in the U.S.-Iran war, the Iranian-backed Houthi militant group in Yemen is making a delayed but potentially consequential entrance.

The Houthis claimed to have launched missile and drone strikes on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea on Wednesday, just days after the group declared a naval blockade on shipping linked to Saudi Arabia.

The group has long portrayed itself as a frontline member of Iran’s so-called axis of resistance and has publicly tied itself to Iran’s fortunes. But while the Houthis are close to Iran, analysts describe their partnership as one shaped by both coordination and constraint.

Here’s what to know about the Houthis and their relationship with Iran.

Who are the Houthis?

The Houthis are Shiite militants who have been fighting Yemen’s internationally recognized government for about two decades. They overran the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in 2014, forcing the government to flee to the southern city of Aden.

The following year, a Saudi-led coalition launched a bombing campaign to oust the militants but failed, leaving the Houthis in power in northern Yemen. Hundreds of thousands of people died from the violence, famine and disease that ensued in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

The Houthis oppose Israel and the United States. The group is part of the so-called axis of resistance led by Iran, along with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and armed groups in Syria and Iraq.

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