The Houthis in Yemen have been launching attacks on ships in the Red Sea since November, claiming that these actions are a show of solidarity with the Palestinians amid the Gaza war, prompting the United States and Britain to carry out strikes against the Iran-aligned group. In the first recorded fatalities since the Houthis began their attacks on vessels in one of the world’s busiest trade routes, a missile fired by the Houthis on Wednesday killed three sailors aboard the "True Confidence," a Greek-owned ship flying the Barbados flag, about 50 nautical miles from the Yemeni port of Aden.
**Who are the Houthis?**
In the late 1990s, the Houthi family in northern Yemen established a religious revival movement for the Zaidi Shia sect that once ruled Yemen, although their stronghold in the north of the country suffered from marginalization and poverty. With escalating disputes with the government in the capital, Sanaa, the Houthis fought a series of guerrilla wars against the national army and engaged in a short border conflict with Saudi Arabia.
**The War in Yemen**
A civil war erupted in Yemen in late 2014 when the Houthis took control of Sanaa. Concerned about Iran's increasing influence near its borders, Saudi Arabia intervened in March 2015 at the head of a Western-backed coalition to support the Saudi-backed government. The Houthis captured a large part of the north and other major urban centers, while the internationally recognized government established its base in the coastal city of Aden. Yemen has seen relative calm for over a year amid UN-led peace efforts. Saudi Arabia is engaged in talks with the Houthis in a bid to end the war. However, the sharp escalation in regional tensions since the Gaza war began has heightened the risk of a new conflict between the Houthis and Riyadh.
**What is the Aim of the Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea?**
The Houthis assert that their attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea are intended to demonstrate support for the Palestinians and Hamas in the Gaza conflict. The attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing companies to reroute to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa. The cost of securing a seven-day journey through the Red Sea has increased by hundreds of thousands of dollars, raising concerns about a new wave of global inflation. While the Houthi group claims to target only vessels connected to Israel, the United States, and the UK, sources within the shipping industry believe that all ships could be at risk. The Israeli resort town of Eilat on the Red Sea has also been a target of Houthi attacks. The United States and Britain are carrying out airstrikes on the Houthis as part of international efforts to restore the free flow of trade on a major route between Europe and Asia, which accounts for about 15 percent of global shipping traffic. The Houthis state that they will consider halting their missile and drone attacks on international navigation in the Red Sea only when Israel ends its "aggression" against Gaza.
**Links with Iran**
The Houthis are part of what is referred to as the "Axis of Resistance," an anti-Israel and anti-Western alliance comprising Iran-backed armed groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. The Houthi motto is "Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory for Islam." Despite their connections with Iran, the depth of their relationship remains unclear. The Saudi-led coalition accuses Iran of arming and training the Houthis, a claim both parties deny. The coalition also states that "Hezbollah is assisting the Houthis," which the Lebanese group rejects. While Iran supports the Houthis as part of the "Axis of Resistance," experts in Yemen indicate that their primary motivation is a domestic agenda, even though they share political affinities with Iran and Hezbollah. The Houthis deny being puppets of Iran, stating that they are fighting a "corrupt regime."
