Who are Yemen’s Houthis and why are they attacking Red Sea ships?
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[December 19, 2023]
(Reuters) - The Iran-aligned Houthis of Yemen are playing
an escalating role in the conflict in the Middle East, attacking
shipping in the Red Sea and firing drones and missiles at Israel in a
campaign they say aims to support Palestinians in the Gaza war.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday announced the creation of
a multinational operation to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea in
response to the Houthi attacks.
The Houthis' role has added to the conflict's regional risks,
threatening sea lanes through which much of the world's oil is shipped,
and worrying states on the Red Sea as Houthi rockets and drones fly
towards Israel.
Who are the Houthis?
HISTORY
In the late 1990s, the Houthi family in far north Yemen set up a
religious revival movement for the Zaydi sect of Shi'ite Islam, which
had once ruled Yemen but whose northern heartland had became
impoverished and marginalised.
As friction with the government grew, they fought a series of guerrilla
wars with the national army and a brief border conflict with Sunni
powerhouse Saudi Arabia.
GROWING POWER
Their power grew during the Yemen war which began in late 2014, when
they seized Sanaa. Worried by the growing influence of Shi'ite Iran
along its border, Saudi Arabia intervened at the head of a
Western-backed coalition in 2015 in support of the Yemeni government.
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The Houthis established control over much of the north and other big
population centres, while the internationally recognised government
based itself in Aden.
Yemen has enjoyed more than a year of relative calm amid a U.N.-led
peace push. Saudi Arabia has been holding talks with the Houthis in a
bid to exit the war.
ROLE IN MIDEAST WAR
The Houthis waded into the latest conflict as it spread around the
Middle East, announcing on Oct. 31 they had fired drones and missiles at
Israel and vowing they would continue to mount attacks "until the
Israeli aggression stops".
Their actions have echoed the role of the Iran-backed Lebanese group
Hezbollah, which has been attacking Israeli positions at the Lebanese
frontier, and Iraqi militias which have been firing at U.S. interests in
Iraq and Syria.
Stepping up their threats, the Houthis said on Dec. 9 they would target
all ships heading to Israel, regardless of nationality, and warned all
international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports.
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![](../images/121923PIX/news_w46.jpg)
Newly recruited fighters who joined a Houthi military force intended
to be sent to fight in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza
Strip, march during a parade in Sanaa, Yemen December 2, 2023.
REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo
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"If Gaza does not receive the food and medicine it needs, all ships
in the Red Sea bound for Israeli ports, regardless of their
nationality, will become a target for our armed forces," the Houthi
spokesperson said in a Dec. 9 statement.
The Houthis' slogan is "Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the
Jews and victory to Islam".
IRAN LINKS
The United States believes that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps is helping to plan and carry out the Houthi missile and drone
attacks.
"Iran's support for Houthi attacks on commercial vessels must stop,"
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Dec. 18.
Iran denies involvement.
The Saudi-led coalition has long accused Iran of arming, training
and funding the Houthis. The Houthis deny being an Iranian proxy and
say they develop their own weapons.
ARSENAL
The Houthis demonstrated their missile and drone capabilities during
the Yemen war in attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates, targeting oil installations and vital infrastructure.
The arsenal includes ballistic missiles and armed drones capable of
hitting Israel more than 1,000 miles from their seat of power in
Sanaa.
Its Tofan, Borkan, and Quds missiles are modelled on Iranian weapons
and can hit targets up to 2,000 km (1,200 miles) away, experts say.
The Houthis fired these missiles at Saudi Arabia dozens of times
during the Yemen war. In September, the Houthis displayed
anti-aircraft Barq-2 missiles, naval missiles, a Mig-29 fighter jet
and helicopters for the first time.
The Houthis have also used fast boats armed with machine guns in
their operations against shipping.
(Writing by Tom Perry, editing by Ed Osmond)
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