Question 1

Who are the Houthi militants from Yemen?

Accepted Answer

The Houthis are a rebel movement that took control of Yemen’s capital in 2014. They are formally known as Ansar Allah, or the “partisans of God.” After deposing the U.S.-allied government in Sanaa, the Houthis forced the president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, to flee to Saudi Arabia, elevating the group to international prominence and triggering a years-long civil war. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, which has engulfed Yemen ever since, alongside a spiraling humanitarian emergency. The civil war has pitted the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, who maintain a stronghold in Yemen’s north, against Saudi-backed government forces supported by a coalition of mostly Arab nations of the Persian Gulf. The United States has provided military support to the Saudi-led coalition. The rebels named themselves after Hussein al-Houthi, a key figure who promoted the Zaydi branch of Shiite Islam, which dominated Yemen for centuries. After the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Houthi staged anti-American rallies in opposition to Yemen’s U.S.-backed government before he was killed by government forces in 2004. As the group shifted from religious protest to armed insurgency, it became associated with a slogan used by Houthi: “Death to America, death to Israel, damnation to the Jews.” Beyond Yemen’s own borders, the militant group has targeted its opponents with missiles and drones. The Houthis have claimed responsibility for a 2019 attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure, strikes in 2020 against Riyadh involving a ballistic missile and a deadly drone attack in 2022 that killed three people in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Question 2

What do the Houthis want, and why are they getting involved in the Israel-Gaza war?

Accepted Answer

The Houthis’ leader, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, threatened to involve the group in the Israel-Gaza war if what he called “red lines” were crossed. If the United States intervened in Gaza, he said, the Houthis would respond with “missile strikes, drones and military options,” according to the Houthi-run Masirah news channel. Strong support for the Palestinian cause across the Middle East, including in Yemen, has stirred outrage in the region at Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. The Houthis have cast themselves as defenders of the Palestinians, while also seeking to bolster their standing among the region’s Iran-backed proxy militias, according to analysts. “I think they dream that the Americans or the Israelis attack them, because that will turn them into a real ‘resistance’ force,” Mustapha Noman, a Yemeni analyst, writer and former diplomat, said at a Chatham House briefing in December.

Question 3

Why are the Houthis attacking ships?

Accepted Answer

The Houthis have said that ships linked to Israel or heading to its ports are legitimate targets. The shipping route past Yemen’s Red Sea coastline connects European ports to their Asian counterparts via the Suez Canal. It is a crucial passage for global commerce and among the busiest in the world. About 8.8 million barrels of oil pass through the area each day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. On Nov. 19, Houthis hijacked the Galaxy Leader, a Bahamian-flagged cargo ship, and took 25 of its crew members hostage. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the hijacking took place about 50 miles west of the Yemeni port city of Hodeida on the Red Sea. The Houthis claimed the hijacked vessel was Israeli, but Israel said it was British-owned, Japanese-operated and not staffed by any Israeli crew members. The vessel’s owner said crew members were granted “modest contact” with their families weeks after the vessel was seized. After the Galaxy Leader hijacking, a Houthi spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said on social media that the group would target all ships operated or owned by Israel or carrying its flag. He claimed the Houthis were acting “in solidarity with Palestinian people in the wake of the brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza.” Saree later escalated the threat — announcing that the group’s militants would act to prevent all ships from traveling to Israel. “We warn all ships and companies to avoid dealing with Israeli ports,” he said. The rebel group has deployed drones and missiles against bulk cargo ships and a Norwegian oil and chemical tanker. Israel’s military has said some of the vessels have no link to Israel. Insisting that the Houthi threats present a global problem, Israel is seeking help from other countries. Tzachi Hanegbi, the head of Israel’s National Security Council, told Israel’s Channel 12 that “if there is no international organization — because this is a global problem — we’ll work to remove the maritime closure.” He did not respond to a question about whether he was referring to military action.

Question 4

How has the U.S. responded to Houthi attacks?

Accepted Answer

The Biden administration has been reluctant to join the military conflict because it’s balancing the goal of deterring Houthi threats with a long-standing effort to broker an end to Yemen’s disastrous, years-long civil conflict — an effort that could be complicated by direct military strikes or the designation of the Houthis as terrorists. Those considerations came to a head Thursday evening as the U.S.-led military coalition struck Houthi positions in Yemen, taking the fighting from sea to land. President Biden said the strikes were a necessary response to the attacks. He did not disclose whether anyone was killed in the operations. “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary,” he said in a statement. The operation hit more than 60 targets across 16 locations in Yemen, Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, a senior Air Force commander overseeing forces in the Middle East, said in a statement. The coalition struck an additional 12 locations Thursday and struck a Houthi radar site early Saturday local time. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Friday that the United States is “not interested in a war with Yemen,” and that the strikes hit “valid, legitimate military targets.” Thousands of people in Yemen’s capital protested the strikes Friday. In some parts of Yemen, the Houthis act as the de facto government. U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that the Houthis launched a “complex” attack using drones and missiles, targeting shipping lanes where Centcom said dozens of commercial ships were passing. It said another attack there early Thursday local time was the 27th in the area by Houthis since Nov. 19. Last month, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the creation of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a coalition including forces from Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles and Spain. Coalition forces have since responded to a number of attempted attacks by the Houthis, shooting down missiles on multiple occasions. Adam Taylor, Siobhán O’Grady, Dan Lamothe, Kareem Fahim, Alex Horton, Ben Brasch, Missy Ryan, Abigail Hauslohner and Ali Al-Mujahed contributed to this report.

Who are the Houthis, and why are they attacking ships in the Red Sea?

A U.S.-led coalition struck Houthi positions in Yemen in response to the attacks