The Houthis are backed by Iran as part of its longstanding hostility with Saudi Arabia and are supporting Hamas in the war in Gaza. Soon after the Hamas massacre on 7 October, the Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said his forces were “ready to move in the hundreds of thousands to join the Palestinian people and confront the enemy”.
Multiple attacks on vessels followed, mostly without success, but many shipping companies nevertheless decided to bypass the Red Sea route and divert around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, significantly adding to journey times and cost.
On 18 December the US announced the formation of Operation Prosperity Guardian in response to the Houthi attacks.
The US refrained from direct confrontation until 31 December, when US Navy helicopters fired on a group of small boats
@ecksmc
Thank you for all this helpful information. This it is all so frightening to me.
it was a case of "when" not "if" it was gonna happen ..... it shoulda happened before it did ..... all we can hope for now is that it doesn't escalate further ...... that might be a "hope" too far though
@ecksmc
I’ll keep hoping🙏🏼
On 9 January US and British warships shot down 21 drones and missiles fired by the Houthis, in what London called the largest such attack in the area. On 10 January, Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said further attacks could prompt a western military response.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/10/britain-warns-severe-consequences-houthi-attack-red-sea-repelled
Who are the Houthis and how did the US and UK strikes on Yemen come about?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/12/yemen-houthi-rebels-who-are-they-what-attacking-us-uk-airstrikes-red-sea-crisis
What was happening in Yemen before the Gaza war?