By Trevor McCurdy Photo Credit: AP News
Who are the Houthis?
The Houthis are a Yemen-based organization founded upon Shia Muslim principles, specifically the Zaidi branch of Shia Islam, and has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. The Houthis have an estimated 20,000 fighters and control the western coast of Yemen. The group formed in the early 1990s but attained global prominence after starting a coup against the Yemeni government in 2014. The coup was unsuccessful, and the Houthis have continued to fight for greater control of Yemen. Since then, the current government of Yemen has been fighting the Iranian-aligned Houthis in a civil war. “The UN agency data shows that a total of 17.8 million people in Yemen lack access to safe water and sanitation, and 19.7 million lack access to adequate healthcare” as a result of the civil war. The conflict and its consequences are ongoing, with the official government working out of Aden to take control of Yemen.
What actions have the Houthis taken?
The Houthis have been launching explosive drones and missiles at commercial trade vessels in the Red Sea since October 19th, 2023. The group claims that they are only attacking ships that have ties to Israel, as a way to protest the Israel-Hamas war, although a multitude of boats have been attacked with no explicit Israeli associations. “In the second attack this week on a vessel operated by the United States in the region, the Genco Picardy came under attack in the Gulf of Aden.” The attacks consist of anti-ship ballistic missiles launched from Houthi ships at mercantile vessels. Many of these missiles are provided by Iran, who back the Houthis with weapons, like missiles, as well as sophisticated drones. So far, the Houthis have been largely unsuccessful in attacking trade ships, as U.S. vessels in the region have shot down incoming missiles or the missiles have failed to reach their target on their own. Only 21 of 43 attacks have successfully damaged targets, with only one vessel, the Rubymar being sunk. These attacks are not limited to cargo vessels, and U.S. warships in the region have also been attacked. One such incident occurred on January 24th, “The USS Gravely, which was nearby at the time, shot down two of the missiles, and one landed in the water, the officials said.”
How has the United States responded?
With the looming threat of potential missile attacks, the Houthis have become a potential threat to the trade that passes through the Suez Canal. According to Bloomberg News, a leading economic journal, “By attacking ships plying the Red Sea, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have caused the biggest disruption to global trade since the Covid-19 pandemic and provoked a military response.” The waters off Yemen’s coast are responsible for large amounts of global trade, in fact, “40% of Asia-Europe trade normally goes through the area, including a huge amount of oil and diesel fuel for import-dependent Europe.” As a result of the Houthis actions, “the U.S. and U.K. used warship- and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets to take out Houthi missile storage sites, drones, and launchers.”
The joint operation with the United States, The United Kingdom, and the official Yemeni government was a retaliatory action after the strikes against the U.S. flagged ships, like the Maersk Detroit, a U.S.-owned and operated ship that had three anti-ship ballistic missiles launched at it. President Biden announced that “the strikes were meant to demonstrate that the U.S. and its allies ‘will not tolerate’ the militant groups ceaseless attacks on the Red Sea.”