Who are Houthis? Yemen-based rebels attacking ships in Red Sea
The ongoing attacks on cargo vessels in the Red Sea have put the spotlight on Yemen-based Houthi rebels, but who are they? The Houthis are an armed group from a sub-sect of the Shia Muslim minority, the Zaidis, and take their name from the movement's founder, Hussein al-Houthi. The rebel group, formally known as Ansar Allah (Partisans of God), was formed in the 1990s to battle what they viewed as the corruption of the then-president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Why does this story matter?
The Iran-backed rebel group has escalated its maritime aggression in the region amid Israel's bombardment of Gaza, which started after Hamas's October 7 attacks on the Jewish nation. The crisis in the Red Sea remained unnoticed until reports emerged of drone strikes targeting cargo ships carrying oil and petrochemicals en route to India. While Houthis initially targeted only Israel-owned ships in the region, they have now expanded to any ship related to Israel.
Civil war between Houthis and Yemen government
The Houthi rebels have been battling a civil war since 2014, after it toppled the Yemeni government. According to the United Nations (UN), the war had claimed 377,000 lives and displaced nearly four million people by the start of 2022. Backed by Saudi Arabia's army, President Saleh tried to eliminate the rebel group in 2003, but the Houthis successfully repelled those attempts.
Know about allies of Houthi rebels
The Houthis declare themselves to be part of the Iranian-led "axis of resistance" against Israel and the West, along with other terror outfits like Hamas and Hezbollah. The Houthi rebels model themselves on Hezbollah, the Shia armed group in Lebanon, which has been reportedly providing them with extensive military expertise and training since 2014. Moreover, the Houthis also consider Iran an ally due to Saudi Arabia being their common enemy.
Saudi-led Arab coalition's fight against Houthis in Yemen
After the fall of the government in Yemen, a Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 and tried to restore the internationally recognized government to power. The Houthis have also fired hundreds of short-range missiles into Saudi Arabia and have also attacked targets in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The rebel group has also launched drones and ballistic missiles towards Israel since the start of the Gaza conflict.
US-UK launched airstrikes on Houthi targets amid Red Sea attacks
On Thursday (local time), the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) launched airstrikes against multiple Houthi targets in Yemen amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia. The airstrikes, aimed at eliminating Houthi bases in Yemen, are in reaction to a series of attacks by the rebels on commercial vessels that have derailed commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
