The US military, early on Saturday, reportedly, struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen, a day after the US Navy warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours.
US Navy issued the warning after the Houthis vowed to retaliate fiercely to the multiple airstrikes launched by the US and the UK on Friday targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen, which hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets.
The US-led strikes were carried out in response to recent drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. The route is a crucial waterway, as the vessels must travel through the Red Sea to access the Suez Canal - the only direct passage between Europe and Asia. The attacks on the commercial vessels have severely disrupted global trade.
Who are the Houthis?
The Houthis are a rebel group involved in the ongoing civil war in Yemen. They emerged as a cultural revivalist movement in the 1990s, but launched several insurgencies in the 2000s, alleging widespread corruption and mismanagement by the Yemen government.
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During the Arab Spring, in 2011, mass protests led to the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who had been ruling the country for over thirty years. He was succeeded by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who had Saudi Arabia's backing. The Houthis came to prominence in 2014 when they rebelled against the Hadi government. A Saudi-led coalition launched a war to back Yemen's exiled government in 2015, which soon became “a regional confrontation”, with Iran supporting the Houthis. It sparked off a civil war in the country, which is still ongoing.
Currently, they control Yemen's western coast, including its capital, Sana’a. The territory is home to two-thirds of Yemen's population of 34 million.
The Houthis have been in ceasefire talks with Saudi Arabia, even as Yemen’s official government led by President Rashad al-Alimi is based in Aden. Hadi transferred power to Al-Alimi in 2022. With Saudi Arabia restoring relations with Iran last year, there might be light at the end of the tunnel for the people of Yemen, though the shadow of Israel-Hamas war looms large.