How Iran made the Houthis into such a problem for the U.S. and its allies– www.cbsnews.com

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have morphed over the last decade from being a little-known group in northwest Yemen, to Iran’s most potent ally in the region and a central opponent of the United States and its allies across the Middle East.

While Iran’s other proxy forces have been depleted in recent years, the Houthis have taken center stage in the Middle East, offering yet another example of how a smaller, guerrilla-style force that’s dug in on the ground can cause asymmetric damage through hard-to-repel aerial attacks.

In support of their Iranian benefactors, the Houthis launched initial attacks on Israel not long after the U.S. joined the Jewish state in strikes across Iran on Feb. 28, sparking the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s richest nations and a key American ally, is now bearing the brunt of the Houthis’ attacks, which have killed at least 20 people at Saudi airports over the last week. Along with other allied groups, the militants have also attacked Saudi oil infrastructure, helping drive up global energy prices by threatening the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which, like the Strait of Hormuz, is a key maritime chokepoint for oil and gas shipments.