The US and UK Target Houthi Positions After Attacks on Shipping Routes

The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, are a Yemeni militia group that emerged in the 1980s, led by Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi. The group adheres to the Zaidi branch of Shia Islam and initially opposed the religious influence of Saudi Arabia in Yemen. Today, the Houthis control much of Yemen’s western region, including its vital Red Sea coastline.

Iran has been a key backer of the Houthis, providing military and logistical support as part of its broader regional rivalry with Saudi Arabia. The Houthis have become increasingly involved in Middle Eastern geopolitics, aligning themselves with Hamas in the context of the ongoing war in Gaza. In October 2023, following Hamas’s massacre of Israeli civilians, Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi expressed his readiness to send large numbers of fighters to support Palestinians against Israel.

The latest US and UK military strikes on Yemen, launched in early January 2024, were a direct response to the Houthis’ campaign of missile and drone attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea. This campaign began shortly after the start of the Gaza conflict, with the Houthis targeting vessels crucial for international trade. The Red Sea, which is one of the busiest shipping lanes globally, connects the Suez Canal to the Gulf of Aden. While many of the Houthi attacks were intercepted by US and Israeli defense systems, the strikes have escalated tensions in the region.

In response to the attacks, the US and UK targeted more than a dozen Houthi-controlled sites, marking the most significant military response to date. The strikes have heightened concerns about the growing instability in the region, especially given the strategic importance of the Red Sea for global trade.