Houthi Overtaking the Red Sea and World Power's Reaction

With tension rising due to   the Israel-Gaza conflict, neighbouring  countries have begun to chose sides. On October 19th, 2023 the Yemen Houthi movement attacked ships in the Red Sea. The Houthi claimed they were targeting ships linked to Israel, but this was not the case. 

The Houthi are a rebel group based in Yemen. They have been the cause of the ongoing civil war that has made Yemen home to the largest humanitarian crisis since 2015, leaving two thirds of the population in need of urgent aid and an economic crisis. This group is believed to be allied with Iran and Hamas, adopting their anti-Western principles, particularly against the US and Israel. Because of this existing alliance, many have blamed Iran for the ongoing attacks but Irani representatives have spoken, claiming to be political allies of the Houthis, rejecting all connections to the current crisis in the Red Sea. However, many experts have claimed that the Houthis lack the economic resources to have the armament they are in possession of, if they are not being backed up by Iran. 

New York Times

In order to combat the attacks in the Red Sea, the United States has taken to bombing Yemen and their ships under the pretense that they are combating terrorism. By doing so, the US is also defending their ally, Saudi Arabia who previously had a ceasefire with Yemen. These are not the only actions. The United Kingdom has taken to the United States’ approach and bombed Yemen on January 11th and January 22th and have implemented a technique called “spot and shoot”. This means they attack Houthi ships as soon as they are spotted. The US claims it has been effective since there have not been any attacks since January 24th but experts are afraid the Houthi are simply regrouping. 

Yemen has also taken strong action within the country against the US and the UK. They have demanded all American and British citizens leave the country, giving them only 30 days to do so. They are also urging NGOs and other programs centered in Yemen to kick out US and UK citizens. 

The ship bombing is not only affecting the Middle East, but the whole world. Because of the current situation a lot of companies have stopped using this route to export products, delaying the arrival of products from countless companies. THe route typically used for 15% of distribution is now significantly down, and companies ignoring the conflicts face danger of being targeted.The bombing is also preventing humanitarian aid from reaching Yemen, derailing the country's domestic situation even more. 

The Houthis have claimed to stop when Israel frees the Palestinians in Gaza.

As a result, the conflict continues.