<h5>Why are the Houthis in the news?</h5><p>Recently, there has been news of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacking many ships in the Red Sea. They say these are acts of revenge against Israel for its <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newsahoot.com/articles/un-general-assembly-votes-for-gaza-ceasefire">military campaign</a> in Gaza. Due to these attacks, shipping and oil companies had to stop or divert transporting goods through one of the world's most important maritime trade routes.</p><p>This can affect the global economy. The Houthis are thought to have been armed and trained by Iran. There are fears that their attacks would extend Israel's fight with Hamas into a larger regional clash.</p><figure class="image"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/who-are-the-houthis%2FRed%20sea.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=b36c0ef1-914e-4e31-916c-1eb1ff0c41db"><figcaption>Red Sea and its surrounding countries. Photo by Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 3.0.</figcaption></figure><h5>Who are the Houthis?</h5><p>The Houthi movement first appeared in the 1990s, when its leader, Hussein al-Houthi, initiated a religious Zaidism revival movement named “Beliving Youth.” The Zaidis governed Yemen for centuries until being sidelined by the Sunni dictatorship that took power following the 1962 civil war.</p><p>Al-Houthi's organisation was created to represent Zaidis and oppose Sunnism. His closest followers were called Houthis. Yemen's first president after its unification in 1990, Ali Abdullah Saleh, initially supported the Believing Youth movement. However, as their popularity grew and they talked against the government, Saleh stopped supporting them.</p><p>In 2003, Saleh's support for the US invasion of Iraq was opposed by many Yemenis. This increased tensions in the country. Al-Houthi organised protests against the government. Al-Houthi was killed in 2004, but his movement continued. In 2011, the Houthi military wing advanced, taking Saada and demanding an end to the Saleh rule.</p><p>In 2014, the Houthis took over Yemen's capital, Sanaa (also spelt Sana'a). The Houthis have control over lots of areas of Yemen and the Red Sea coast.</p><h5>What are the Houthis claiming about their ship attacks?</h5><figure class="image"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/who-are-the-houthis%2FShip.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=a01b48eb-c481-4599-bf5a-1ef851f92b49"><figcaption>A ship being attacked by Houthi rebels. Photo by CNN.</figcaption></figure><p>The Houthis said they would continue attacking Israeli ships or vessels bound for Israeli ports. They aim to block Israeli ships from entering the Red Sea until Israel's violence against Gaza stops and more food and medicine is sent to Gaza.</p><p>Although the Houthis initially said they would only be targeting Israeli ships, they have increased their attacks on various other ships passing through the area.</p><h5>Is there anything being done about the attacks?</h5><p>The United States has announced the formation of a naval protection force group operating in the southern Red Sea. This has been done to stop the attacks of the Houthis. Over twenty countries have joined together to protect the ships from Houthi attacks.</p>

The Houthi rebels are attacking various ships on the Red Sea.

Who Are the Houthis?

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Who Are the Houthis?

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