(Bloomberg) -- Soon after war broke out in October between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union, the Houthi rebels who control northwestern Yemen joined in. The Houthis, who like Hamas are hostile to Israel and backed by Iran, began disrupting traffic in the Red Sea by attacking ships there, provoking a military response led by the US and UK. The rebels also started flinging missiles and drones at Israel, which is separated from Yemen by about 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) at the closest point. They’ve scored a couple of hits. On July 19 one of their drones hit a building in central Tel Aviv, killing a man and injuring several others. And on Sept. 15, a missile they fired reached central Israel, whose military said its interceptors hit the projectile but didn’t destroy it.
Who are the Houthis?
They are rebels who seized control of Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, in 2014, launching a civil war that continues to this day. Part of a clan that hails from Yemen’s northwestern Saada province, the Houthis are followers of the Zaidi branch of Shiite Islam, which accounts for an estimated 25% of the country’s population. After North Yemen and South Yemen were unified in 1990, the Houthis waged a series of rebellions before successfully taking the capital. The Houthis are anti-Western and anti-Israeli.
Analysts say they get training, technical expertise and increasingly sophisticated weapons — including drones and ballistic and cruise missiles — from Iran and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant group. The US in 2021 revoked its designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group out of concern the label would harm Yemenis’ access to basics such as food and fuel; the designation was restored in February.
Why are the Houthis attacking Israel?
In a televised statement in October after attempted missile and drone strikes on Israel, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the movement was targeting the country “in support of our oppressed brothers in Palestine” and said the operations would continue “until the Israeli aggression stops.” Israel launched a military campaign in the Gaza Strip in response to an Oct. 7 massacre of Israelis by Hamas fighters based in Gaza. The group is dedicated to Israel’s destruction.
What’s been happening in the Red Sea?
The Houthis have used missiles and drones to assault ships passing through the Red Sea. They say they’re targeting vessels connected to Israel, the US and the UK, but ships with no such ties have been hit. They’ve tried to board and take control of some vessels, successfully seizing a ship beneficially owned by a unit of Israeli businessman Rami Ungar’s Ray Shipping Group in November. Three sailors were killed in an attack in March and another died in June in an assault on the Tutor, the second ship, after the Rubymar, that the Houthis have sunk.
Many of the strikes are launched from near the Bab el-Mandeb strait that vessels pass through to enter the Red Sea from the Indian Ocean. The violence has prompted shipping companies to reroute vessels around the southern tip of Africa, a lengthier and costlier journey.
The US is leading a naval task force in the Red Sea charged with preventing Houthi attacks. In January, US and UK forces began to launch airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, prompting the rebels to say that all US and UK interests were legitimate targets.
How seriously do the Houthis threaten Israel?
Israeli and allied US forces have intercepted the missiles and drones that have come from Yemen, apart from those that have managed to get through. The Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv, which did not trigger any warning alerts, underscored Israel’s vulnerability to incoming drones. Israel’s army says the drone was detected but failed to be intercepted due to “human error.” Israel retaliated a day later by bombing a key port in Hodeidah, killing dozens in its first direct strike on Yemen.
After the Houthi missile reached central Israel, police said debris from an interceptor missile caused minor building damage. Firefighters said a blaze set off in nearby brush-land was brought under control.
The larger threat to Israel is the possibility that Iran and the regional militias it backs, including Hezbollah, will join together to launch a coordinated attack which could overwhelm the country’s air defenses.
What triggered the Yemen civil war?
In 2011, an Arab Spring revolt forced the country’s ruler, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to step down after three decades in power. Under a US-backed transition accord, President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi replaced him, and talks set the stage for a constitutional convention and new elections. The Houthis, however, rejected a federation plan that arose from those discussions. In 2014, the government lowered fuel subsidies, triggering protests, and the Houthis dislodged Hadi’s government, whose forces retain control of the eastern part of the country. In 2015, Saudi Arabia intervened in the war on behalf of Hadi’s government. The violence has devastated ordinary Yemenis, who say that between airstrikes, economic collapse and growing starvation, life has become almost unbearable.
--With assistance from Dan Williams.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
