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The military strikes on January 11, 2024, by US and UK forces on Houthi positions in Yemen threatens to escalate conflict in the Middle East. The British and Americans were responding to attacks by the Yemini militia group on shipping in the Red Sea, which has seen vessel traffic plummet 20% as shipping companies suspended their operations or shifted their routes to the Cape of Good Hope. The Houthis have vowed to avenge the strikes, which killed five and wounded six, according to the rebels. But who exactly are the Houthis, and why were they targeted?
Click through and find out more about the emergence of the Houthi movement.
On January 12, 2024, British and US forces carried out an attack on Houthi targets in Yemen after the Iranian-backed group defied a warning to stop targeting ships in the Red Sea. Pictured is a Typhoon taking off from Royal Air Force (RAF) Akrotiri military airbase in Cyprus to conduct its mission.
A view from the US and British naval fleet as a missile is fired towards Yemen.
The combined airstrikes zeroed in on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, specifically the cities of Saana, Al Hudaydah, and Taiz.
In the wake of Israel's war on Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Houthi rebels in Yemen pledged disruption on all ships destined for Israel through the Red Sea.
As a result of Houthi action, vessel traffic plummeted 20% in the Red Sea as shipping companies suspended their operations or shifted their routes to South Africa's Cape of Good Hope, significantly adding to journey times and cost.
On November 19, 2023, Houthi rebels boarded the Galaxy Leader from a helicopter, seizing the ship and escorting it to the Port of Salif.
The following month, on December 31, US Navy helicopters launched from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (pictured in a file photo) and USS Gravely fired on Houthi small boats attempting to board a container ship, the Maersk Hangzhou. Three boats were sank and a fourth fled the area. The deaths of 10 militants marked a new phase in the crisis.
Then on January 9, 2024, fighter jets from HMS Diamond and US warships shot down 21 drones and missiles launched by Houthi rebels over the southern Red Sea—the armed group's 26th attack on international shipping lanes in the last seven weeks. Pictured is HMS Diamond with the Eisenhower during an earlier operation.
In a statement issued shortly after the attacks, US President Joe Biden said: "These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world's most critical commercial routes."
On January 10, 2024, Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, warned that further attacks could prompt a Western military response.
The Houthis described the attacks as "barbaric" and vowed to continue targeting ships heading towards Israel. Pictured is Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea during a press conference in Sanaa on January 3, 2024.
The Houthis, a Shia Islamist political and military organization, emerged out of Yemen in the 1990s.
The Houthi movement takes its name from the Yemini Zaidi religious leader Hussein al-Houthi, who was assassinated in 2004.
The Houthi movement was already enjoying considerable support from Shia Yemenis when Al-Houthi was killed. They were fed up with the corruption and cruelty of the longtime authoritarian president and Saudi ally, Ali Abdullah Saleh (pictured).
Al-Houthi's death sparked the Houthi insurgency, and, after protests and several assassination attempts on his life, Saleh was forced to resign in 2012. He was replaced by a Sunni from the south of Yemen—Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who enjoyed the backing of the West.
In 2014 in what many saw as a remarkable and hypocritical reversal of alliances, the Houthis affiliated with their former enemy Saleh to seize the capital, Sanaa, and overthrew Mansur Hadi.
Soon afterwards, Hadi was forced to flee. The exiled Yemeni government asked its allies in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to launch a military campaign to drive out the rebels. The West gave the request its blessing.
Shortly after Houthi forces took over the capital, civil war broke out in Yemen. According to United Nations estimates, by 2021 around 377,000 people had died in the conflict and four million were displaced.
By 2023, fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi coalition had largely subsided, a fragile truce in place since April 2022 still holding.
The Houthi movement is currently led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the brother of slain Hussein al-Houthi. Pictured is a Houthi fighter standing guard in front of a banner that reads in Arabic: "Death to America, Death to Israel."
Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, prompted a swift and deadly response from Israel.
As of March 4, 2025, more than 50,000 people (48,405 Palestinians and 1,706 Israelis) have been killed in the conflict.
The onset of war in Gaza also prompted an angry response from Hezbollah in Lebanon and supporters of the Houthi movement in Yemen. Pictured are demonstrators lifting the Palestinian and Yemeni flags and posters of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Yemeni protestors loyal to the Houthi movement march as they participate in a protest held on January 11, 2024, against Israel's ongoing war on Gaza.
Western military analysts and political commentators agree that the Houthis are no longer seen as a rag-tag army. The Yemeni militia group have an advanced arsenal, which includes drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, and anti-ship weapons.
The Houthi operations are seen by some Yemenis as a legitimate means of exerting pressure on Israel and its allies in defense of Palestinian civilians.
But British and US officials deny a link between the Houthis' action and what's happening in Gaza, according to analysis by the UK's Sky News.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, is attempting to normalize relations with Iran—it revived direct communication channels with the Houthis in 2022. A peace deal could recognize Houthi control of the north of Yemen, despite the presence of an internationally recognized government in the south of the country.
On January 12, 2024, the day after the US and UK strikes on Yemen, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, speaking to Sky News, did not rule out the possibility of further strikes against Houthi rebels in the country, arguing the UK must do "what is necessary" to protect its ships.
On March 15, the US launched a series of air strikes targeting the Houthi rebels in Yemen, killing at least 31 people and injuring over 100. President Donald Trump has said the strikes were in retaliation for the recent attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthis also reported a series of explosions in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and the northern province of Saada. Following the attacks, they have said they will respond to the strikes and have vowed to continue to target Red Sea shipping until Israel lifts its blockade of Gaza.
The fact is Red Sea disruptions are costing companies millions of dollars, while the attacks of Houthi strongholds in Yemen could still escalate into a wider and even more dangerous conflict.
Sources: (Reuters) (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (Sky News) (United Nations) (Global Conflict Tracker) (Middle East Institute)
See also: Hezbollah explained: a complex role in Middle Eastern politics
Who are the Houthis, and why are they being attacked?
What is the history behind this Yemeni militia group?
LIFESTYLE Current affairs
The military strikes on January 11, 2024, by US and UK forces on Houthi positions in Yemen threatens to escalate conflict in the Middle East. The British and Americans were responding to attacks by the Yemini militia group on shipping in the Red Sea, which has seen vessel traffic plummet 20% as shipping companies suspended their operations or shifted their routes to the Cape of Good Hope. The Houthis have vowed to avenge the strikes, which killed five and wounded six, according to the rebels. But who exactly are the Houthis, and why were they targeted?
Click through and find out more about the emergence of the Houthi movement.