President Biden announced Thursday that the United States and Britain have carried out retaliatory strikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels amid rising tensions in the Red Sea.
Iran-backed rebels have stepped up attacks on ships, seen as retaliation against Israel for its war with Hamas in Gaza.
Strikes on ships have caused some major shipping companies to suspend operations on the world's most important trade routes.
The Houthis are believed to be armed by Iran, and there are fears their attacks could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.
Who are the Houthis?
The Houthis are a Zaidi Shia movement that has been fighting Yemen's Sunni government since 2004. The Houthi movement began in his 1990s as a reaction to Saudi Arabia's growing economic and religious influence.
The group captured Yemen's capital in 2014 and controlled much of the north by 2016.
Officials have repeatedly claimed that Iran and Hezbollah provide arms and financial support to the Houthis, but Iranian and Hezbollah officials have denied the claims. According to the Wilson Center.
In 2017, the group killed former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was once associated with the Houthis.
The war in Yemen became the world's worst humanitarian crisis in 2018. More than 22 million people, three-quarters of the country's population, are in dire need of assistance. declared the United Nations.
The Houthis expanded the scope of the conflict in early 2022 and are now involved in the Gaza conflict.
Why are the Houthis attacking ships??
The Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7th, killing 1,200 Israelis. Israel has vowed revenge for the attack and the group that took more than 200 hostages, leaving more than 22,000 people dead, with many declaring a humanitarian crisis.
The Wilson Center reports that the Houthis demand Israel's death. The group said it was carrying out attacks in the Red Sea to prevent Israeli ships from reaching Palestinian ports until the conflict ends.
The Houthis have attacked commercial ships at least 26 times since November 19 in operations targeting ships based in or bound for Israel. The Houthis say they are trying to protect Palestinians as Israel continues its destructive and deadly war in Gaza, The Hill previously reported.
Earlier this year, shipping giant Maersk suspended operations in the Red Sea after the Houthis attacked one of its ships. The United States, which was patrolling the Red Sea to protect commercial ships, responded to a distress call and sank three Houthi ships.
Maersk has joined some of the world's biggest shipping and oil companies, including BP, in shutting down the corridor, but boats now have to detour around Africa, impacting the global economy including shipping costs. It is expected that
President Biden said Thursday that the United States would work with the United Kingdom to attack the Houthis in a “direct response to the unprecedented Houthi offensive,” as American personnel, civilians and trade are threatened in the region. Announced.
“I will not hesitate to direct further action as necessary to protect our people and the freedom of international commerce,” Biden said.
According to the Associated Press, the United States and Britain have bombed more than a dozen locations in Yemen used by the Houthis.
This is the first direct military attack by the United States against the Houthis since they began targeting ships in the corridor.
The attack is likely to provoke both the Houthis and Iran, potentially leading to a wider war, The Hill reported.
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