Who are the Houthis and why are they attacking ships in the Red Sea?

Since mid-November, the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group allied with Hamas and backed by Iran, have dozens of attacks launched on ships transiting the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, a crucial shipping route through which 12 percent of world trade passes.

Early Friday morning, the United States and a handful of allies including Britain hit back and launched a rocket attack on Houthi targets in Yemen, further putting the spotlight on the rebels and their long-running armed struggle.

The attack on Houthi bases came a day after the United Nations Security Council voted to condemn “in the strongest terms” at least 20 attacks by the Houthis on merchant and commercial ships, which it said had hampered global trade and had undermined freedom of navigation. .

Here’s a primer on the Houthis, their relationship with Hamas, and the attacks in the Red Sea.

Who are the Houthis?

The Houthis, led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, are an Iranian-backed group of Shiites rebels who have been fighting the Yemeni government for about twenty years and now control the northwest of the country and the capital Sana.

They have built their ideology around opposition to Israel and the United States, seeing themselves as part of the Iranian-led “axis of resistance,” along with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Their leaders often draw parallels between American-made bombs their forces to defeat Yemen and the poor 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 killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Last April, talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia raised hopes of a peace deal that might recognize the Houthis’ right to rule northern Yemen.

The Houthis were once a group of poorly organized rebels strengthened their arsenal in recent years, and it now also includes cruise and ballistic missiles and long-range drones. Analysts credit this expansion to support from Iran, which has supplied militias across the Middle East to expand its own influence.

Why are they attacking ships in the Red Sea?

When the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, the Houthis declared their support for Hamas and said they would target any ship traveling to or leaving Israel.

Yahya Sarea, a Houthi spokesman, has repeatedly said the group is attacking ships to protest the “murder, destruction and siege” in Gaza and to show solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Authorities in Gaza say more than 23,000 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, according to Israeli authorities, massacred about 1,200 people.

Since November, the Houthis have launched 27 drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden that they say are heading to or leaving Israeli ports. The latest was at 2 a.m. Thursday, when a missile landed near a commercial ship, the U.S. military said.

Perhaps the most daring Houthi operation took place on November 19, when armed men a ship hijacked renamed the Galaxy Leader and took it to a Yemeni port, where the 25 crew, mostly Filipinos, were held captive.

How will the attacks affect countries around the world?

Speaking to reporters in Bahrain on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken warned that continued Houthi attacks in the Red Sea could disrupt supply chains and in turn raise the cost of everyday goods. The Houthis attacks have hit ships linked to more than 40 countries, he said.

The world’s largest container companies, MSC and Maersk, have said they are avoiding the region, and shipping companies are as well. left with difficult options.

Diverting ships around Africa adds 6,000 kilometers and ten days to shipping lanes and requires more fuel. But continuing to use the Red Sea would increase insurance premiums. Either option would cause a bruise the already fragile global economy.

What has the US done to stop the Houthi attacks?

The Biden administration repeatedly condemned the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and established a naval task force to try to contain them.

The task force, called Operation Prosperity Guardian, brought together the United States, Britain and other allies and patrolled the Red Sea to promote, in Mr. Blinken’s words, “the freedom of navigation” and “the freedom of navigation.” to keep.

Bahrain is the only Middle Eastern country to have agreed to this Participate. While many countries in the region rely on trade passing 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 some Houthi missiles and drones before reaching their targets. On Wednesday, American fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with four other warships, intercepted 18 dronesTwo anti-ship cruise missiles and one anti-ship ballistic missile, the Central Command said in a statement.

On December 31, US Navy helicopters sank three Houthi boats who attacked a commercial freighter.

Vivian Nereim, Ben Hubbard, Peter Eavis, Keith Bradsher, Helene Kuiper And Erik Schmitt reporting contributed.