The US, with the collaboration of Great Britain, launches raids against the Houthis in Yemen after President Joe Biden's order. Who are the Houthis? What is their role in the Middle East crisis? Why are they getting hit now?
Who are the Houthis
The Shiite militants are heirs of the 'Believing Youth' religious movement created by Muḥammad al-Ḥouthi in 1992. al-Houthi was killed by the Yemeni armed forces in 2004: his death did not stop the growth of the movement, which had begun in 2003 to ride the opposition to the American invasion of Iraq supported by Ali Abdullah Saleh, the first president of reunified Yemen. The Houthis, after the death of Muḥammad al-Ḥouthi, further developed their military wing, acquiring control of areas of the country to the point of playing a central role in the civil war that broke out in Yemen in 2015.
The organization fights against the government supported by Saudi Arabia, home of Sunnism. The link with Iran has progressively consolidated and favored the transformation of the group from a local guerrilla organization to a more structured armed force. According to analysts, they have not reached the level of organizations like Hamas or Hezbollah.
Why the US attack
Despite this, they have become a highly destabilizing element in the precarious framework of the Middle East shaken by the attack carried out by Hamas against Israel and the subsequent Israeli offensive against Gaza. The Houthis have distinguished themselves by launching missiles against Israel and against ships in the Red Sea, with a strategy that can affect trade routes, pushing ships to opt for longer routes around Africa with obvious consequences on the costs of operations and on insurance. The US and UK raids began in response to attacks on commercial ships.
In this way, the interests of even countries that support Israel are affected. The operations are also presented as actions to support the Palestinian cause, with the parallel objective of consolidating its role in the region and expanding its influence in the precarious Yemeni context.
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