Who are the Houthis and Why are They Attacking U.S. Ships?

On Monday, a U.S. commercial ship was attacked by Houthi rebels off the coast of Yemen, escalating ongoing tensions in and around the Red Sea. But just who are the Houthis, and what is the group's stake in the current conflict in the Middle East?

The Houthis are a Shiite political/military organization that is the de facto ruling party of Yemen, despite not being recognized as such. Formed in the 1990s as an opposition force to the ruling Yemeni government, the group has become increasingly anti-American and anti-Israeli at a pace consistent with many other countries in the region.

The group has menaced critical international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, targeting vessels with connections to Israel. The Houthis have stated that the attacks are in support of Palestinians and will persist until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

Last Thursday, U.S. and the U.K. military forces led a large-scale, retaliatory strike against the Houthis in an attempt to reduce the group's ability to attack ships in the region, prompting the group to vow retaliation.

On Monday, Houthi rebels launched a missile off the coast of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden that struck the Gibraltar Eagle, a U.S.-owned ship. This attack came less than 24 hours after they launched a cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea.

The shipping lanes being contested represent a crucial pathway that links Asian and Middle Eastern energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal and onward to Europe and the rest of the West. Without access to the Suez Canal, most of these shipments would be left only with the option of rounding the southern tip of Africa, a long and much more treacherous journey that many of the ships are not designed to make.

With global inflation already roiling economies and many industries only beginning to recover from the supply chain crises caused by COVID-19, reduced access to vital shipping lanes could have devastating economic repercussions that ripple throughout international markets.

To better understand the Houthis, it is instructive to revisit the Yemeni Revolution of 2011, in which the group played a major role. The revolution grew out of the wave of protests and uprisings referred to as the Arab Spring.

The Yemeni Revolution brought a transfer of power, but the Houthis did not approve of the replacement government and took control of the capital in 2014, sparking a civil war that continues to this day.

Saudi Arabia backed the recognized government and, with the implicit endorsement of the U.S., began aggressive attacks on Yemen with the stated goal of restoring the deposed leadership. Iran, the only country that has a Shiite majority, has backed the Houthis. The conflict is often described as a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, with the U.S. and most of the West backing the latter.

In 2022, the United Nations brokered a ceasefire in the Yemeni Civil War. While that truce has largely been maintained, there is concern that the Israeli-Hamas war could lead to renewed hostilities and potentially spark a broader conflict in the region.