Since mid-November, the Houthis, the de facto government in northern Yemen that is backed by Iran, have launched dozens of attacks on ships sailing through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, a crucial 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 impeded global commerce and undermined navigational freedom.
The United States and a handful of allies, including Britain, have struck back, carrying out missile strikes on Houthi targets inside Yemen and thrusting the militia and its long-running armed struggle further into the limelight. Last month, the State Department designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization, following through on 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 Iran-backed group of Shiite militants who have been fighting Yemen’s government for about two decades and now control the country’s northwest and its 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 the American-made bombs used to pummel their forces in Yemen and the arms sent to Israel and used in Gaza.
Models of Houthi-made drones on display in Sana, Yemen, in January.Credit…Yahya Arhab/EPA, via Shutterstock
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 group of poorly organized rebels, the Houthis have bolstered their arsenal in recent years, and it now 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 Israel-Hamas war started on Oct. 7, the Houthis declared their support for the people of Gaza and said they would target any ship traveling to Israel or leaving it.
Yahya Sarea, a Houthi spokesman, has said frequently that the group is attacking ships to protest the “killing, destruction and siege” in Gaza and to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Yahya Sarea, a Houthi spokesman, making a statement in January.Credit…Yahya Arhab/EPA, via Shutterstock
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2024-03-06 23:20:25
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