Since mid-November, the Houthis, the de facto government in northern Yemen backed by Iran, have had launched dozens of attacks on ships sailing the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, an important shipping route through which 12 percent of world trade passes.
In January, the United Nations Security Council voted to condemn “in the strongest terms” at least two dozen attacks carried out by the Houthis on merchant and commercial vessels, which it said had hampered global commerce and undermined freedom of navigation. .
The United States and some allies, including Britain, have retaliated, carrying out missile strikes on Houthi targets inside Yemen and thrusting the militia and its long-standing armed struggle into the limelight. Last month, the State Department designated the Houthis a terrorist organization, following warnings to crack down on the group.
Here’s a primer on the Houthis and their attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Who are the Houthis?
The Houthis, led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, are an Iranian-backed group of Shiite militants who have been fighting Yemen’s government for nearly two decades and now control the country’s northwest and its capital, the hope
They have built their ideology around opposition to Israel and the United States, seeing themselves as part of the “axis of resistance” led by Iran, along with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Their leaders often draw parallels between the American-made bombs used to strike their forces in Yemen and the weapons. sent to Israel and used in Gaza.
In 2014, a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened to try to restore the country’s original government after the Houthis seized the capital, starting a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands.
Last April, talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia raised hopes for a peace deal that would potentially recognize the Houthis’ right to govern northern Yemen.
Once a poorly organized rebel group, the Houthis have beefed up their arsenal in recent years, and now include cruise and ballistic missiles and long-range drones. Analysts attribute this expansion to support from Iran, which has supplied militias across the Middle East to expand its own influence.
Why were they attacking the ships in the Red Sea?
When the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the Houthis declared their support for the people of Gaza and said they would target any ship traveling to or leaving Israel.
Yahya Sarea, a Houthi spokesman, has often said that the group attacks ships to protest the “killing, destruction and siege” in Gaza and to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Gaza authorities say more than 30,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel’s bombing campaign and ground offensive that began after Hamas carried out cross-border raids and killings, the Israeli authorities, about 1,200 people.
While the Houthis initially vowed to target all ships with links to Israel, they have since said their attacks are also in retaliation for “American-British aggression” against them. Most of the ships that were attacked had no clear links to Israel and were not headed for Israeli ports.
Since November, the Houthis have launched dozens of attacks using drones and missiles on naval vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The latest was on Wednesday, when the Houthis claimed an attack on a commercial vessel off the coast of Yemen that killed two people and wounded at least six others, according to Western officials. The attack marked the first casualties from Houthi attacks since the group began targeting ships.
How do attacks affect countries around the world?
Speaking to reporters in Bahrain on January 10, the US secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken, warned that continued Houthi attacks in the Red Sea could disrupt supply chains and increase costs for everyday goods. The Houthis’ attacks have affected ships bound for more than 40 countries, he said.
Shipping companies are left with difficult choices.
Rerouting vessels around Africa adds an extra 4,000 miles and 10 days to shipping routes, and requires more fuel. But continued use in the Red Sea will raise insurance premiums. Either option would damage a fragile global economy.
In addition to containing critical shipping lanes, the waters off Yemen are a critical location for undersea cables that carry email and other digital traffic between Asia and the West. Three of these cables were disabled on Tuesday, raising concerns about whether the conflict in the Middle East is now beginning to threaten the global internet. The cause of the damage is still unclear, but suspicion centers on the Houthis, who have denied responsibility.
What is the US doing to stop the Houthi attack?
The Biden administration has repeatedly condemned Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and assembled a naval force to try to keep them at bay.
The task force, called Operation Prosperity Guardian, brings together the United States, Britain and other allies and patrols the Red Sea to, in Mr. Blinken’s words, “preserve freedom of navigation” and “freedom of shipping.”
Bahrain is the only country in the Middle East that has agreed to participate. While many countries in the region depend on trade that passes through the Red Sea, many do not want to be associated with the United States, Israel’s closest ally, analysts say.
US and British warships intercepted several Houthi missiles and drones before they could reach their targets.
Last month, American and British warplanes struck 18 targets in eight locations in Yemen linked to Houthi underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way attack by unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radar and a helicopter.
The United States has previously struck five Houthi military targets, including an underwater drone, in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
In January, American fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with four other warships, intercepted 18 drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles and one anti-ship ballistic missile, said of the Central Command in a statement. In December, a US Navy helicopter sank three Houthi boats attacking a commercial freighter.
Ben Hubbard, Peter Eavis, Helen Cooper, Eric Schmitt and Keith Bradsher contributed reporting.
