Who are Houthis & Why are They Attacking Ships in Red Sea? Explained as US Attacks Yemeni Group

The US military has opened an attack on Houthi rebels after they attacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea, killing several of them amid the blockade of Israeli ships in the sea route linked to the war in Gaza. It was the first time the US Navy has attacked and killed Houthi fighters since the Red Sea attacks started.

As per the US military, it was the 23rd attack by the Houthis on the international shipping since November 19. For over a month, the Houthis have claimed attacks on ships in the Red Sea that they say are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports.

The Houthis say their attacks aim to end the Israeli air-and-ground offensive in the Gaza Strip that was triggered by the Palestinian militant group Hamas’ October 7 attack in southern Israel.

Who are the Houthis?

The Houthi group is an armed militia of the Zaydi Shia sect in Yemen and is backed by Iran. Though the group traces its origin from a religious revival movement for the Zaydi sect of Shi’ite Islam in late 1990s, it came to prominence fighting against Yemen’s Sunni-majority government since 2014.

They ousted Yemen’s transitional government led by Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in a 2014 coup and have since been engaged in a bloody civil war with the ousted administration, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. A truce has stemmed fighting in the country, with the Houthis currently in control of most of northern Yemen.

Yemen has enjoyed more than a year of relative calm amid a UN-led peace push. Saudi Arabia, which supports the internationally recognised government based in Aden, has been holding talks with the Houthis in a bid to exit the war.

The Yemeni group is designated a “terrorist group” by the UN Security Council. The US also classified the group as a terrorist group until 2021, but the Biden Administration removed it from the list of officially designated terrorists.

Houthis’ Anti-Israel Stance

The Houthi movement espouses a hard-line Islamist ideology. Over time, it has hardened its anti-American, anti-Saudi and anti-Israeli rhetoric. Their official slogan reads “God is the greatest, death to America, death to Israel. Curse the Jews, victory to Islam.”

Following the October violence between the Israeli forces and Hamas, the Yemeni group on October 31 said they have joined the Israel-Hamas war and claimed to have fired drones and missiles at Israel.

They join their allies in the “Axis of Resistance,” a collection of Iran-backed groups and governments in the region. Other key members, Hamas and Hezbollah, have kept up a steady fire on Israel since the war began.

They also threatened to target Israeli ships in the waters off Yemen. As per reports, Houthis’ threat to Israel and its anti-Israeli stance helps in gaining domestic support and helps its Iranian benefactors.

Earlier this month, the Houthis downed a US drone flying above Yemeni territorial waters and allegedly spying on its forces. The Houthi leader has warned of strikes on American interests in the region if Washington becomes directly involved in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Houthis Threaten Key Route

The attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels have rerouted a majority of global trade away from the crucial maritime route for consumer goods and energy supplies.

The Red Sea has the Suez Canal at its northern end and the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end leading into the Gulf of Aden. It’s a busy waterway with ships traversing the Suez Canal to bring goods between Asia and Europe and beyond.

The Yemen rebels have been using missiles and drones to disrupt cargo ships in the Red Sea, notably close to the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.

Around 20,000 ships pass through the Suez Canal every year. 40% of Asia-Europe trade normally goes through the area, including a huge amount of energy supplies like oil and diesel fuel for import-dependent Europe.

They have used drones and anti-ship missiles to attack vessels and in one case used a helicopter to board and seize an Israeli-owned ship and its crew. They have threatened to attack any vessel they believe is either going to or coming from Israel.

The Denmark-based shipping giant Maersk, owner of Maersk Hangzhou, said Sunday it would suspend shipping through the Red Sea again after the two attacks on its freighter.

Earlier this month, US had announced the establishment of a new international coalition to protect vessels traveling through the waterway. The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain are also part of the new maritime security mission.

Since the Pentagon announced Operation Prosperity Guardian to counter the attacks just over 10 days ago, 1,200 merchant ships have travelled through the Red Sea region, and none had been hit by drone or missile strikes, according to a report in The Associated Press.

(With inputs from agencies)