In mid-March 2025, US President Donald Trump initiated a substantial military assault against Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis in response to renewed attacks on Red Sea shipping. The Houthis, supported by Iran, have heightened tensions by attacking shipping lines to aid Palestine. The US effort is the largest initiative in the Middle East since assuming office, with no conclusion anticipated despite Trump’s intensification of sanctions against Tehran.
The Historical Background of the Houthis
In the late 1990s, the Houthi family in northern Yemen established a religious revival movement for the Zaydi sect of Shi’ite Islam, which had formerly governed Yemen but whose northern region had become destitute and marginalized.
As tensions with the government in the capital Sanaa escalated, they engaged in a series of guerrilla warfare campaigns against the national army and a brief border confrontation with Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia.
Abdul Malik al-Houthi established a formidable force contesting global powers from a contingent of unrefined mountain combatants in sandals. Al-Houthi garnered a reputation as a formidable war commander prior to ascending as the leader of the Houthi organization.
Under al-Houthi’s leadership, who is in his 40s, the group has evolved into an army including tens of thousands of combatants and amassed a substantial stockpile of armed drones and ballistic missiles. Saudi Arabia and Western nations assert that the arms originate from Iran, however Tehran refutes this claim.
Al-Houthi is recognized for seldom remaining in one location, for consistently avoiding media interactions, and for exhibiting a pronounced hesitance to engage in prearranged public appearances.
A civil war commenced in Yemen in late 2014 after the Houthis captured Sanaa. Concerned by the expanding power of Shi’ite Iran along its border, Saudi Arabia spearheaded a Western-supported coalition in March 2015 to intervene in favor of the Saudi-backed administration.
The Houthis gained dominance over significant portions of the north and other major urban centers, but the internationally recognized government situated itself in the harbor city of Aden.
Yemen experienced a phase of relative tranquility during a U.N.-facilitated peace initiative; however, a significant rise in regional tensions following the onset of the Gaza war has heightened the likelihood of further violence between the militia and Riyadh.
What is the rationale behind targeting attack ships?
The Houthis have engaged in the Gaza conflict by targeting trade lines in the Red Sea to demonstrate their support for the Palestinians and Hamas, the Islamist organization governing Gaza.
They have also asserted that assaults on vessels purportedly associated with Israel have occurred in the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea.
The Houthi assaults have impeded global shipping, compelling companies to divert to lengthier and costlier routes around southern Africa.
Although the militia claims to have targeted mainly vessels associated with Israel, the United States, and Britain, sources inside the shipping industry indicate that all ships were at risk.
The United States and Britain executed air strikes against the Houthis as part of global initiatives to reestablish the unobstructed flow of commerce along a crucial route between Europe and Asia, which constitutes around 15% of the world’s shipping traffic.
Connections between the Houthis and Iran
The Houthis constitute a faction within the “Axis of Resistance,” an anti-Israel and anti-Western coalition of regional militants, which includes Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, supported by Iran.
The slogan of the Houthis is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory to Islam.”
The Saudi-led coalition alleges that Tehran is providing arms and training to the Houthis, a claim that both parties refute. The alliance asserts that Hezbollah, supported by Iran in Lebanon, is assisting the Houthis, a claim they refute.
Although Iran supports the Houthis, the Houthis refute claims of being Iranian puppets, and Yemen specialists assert that their motivations are predominantly domestic.
Strategy of the Houthis
On 14 March, Yemen’s Houthis executed a missile assault on the US aircraft carrier Eisenhower in the Red Sea, as stated by Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree, in retaliation for US and British airstrikes on Yemen.
Engaging Large Vessels
The Houthis’ strategic objective may involve targeting a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier or submarine. This objective might be accomplished asymmetrically, as exemplified by the USS Cole (DDG-67), or by directly seizing and colliding a gas tanker with an aircraft carrier, resulting in an event involving a nuclear-powered vessel.
The remark is to the 2000 assault on the USS Cole, during which a suicide vessel collided with the American warship in the harbor of Aden, executed by Al-Qaeda, highlighting their propensity for asymmetric strategies to exert considerable influence on maritime security and geopolitics.
This would significantly alter the dynamics for the Houthis and the Special Unit of the IRGC Navy, which is equipped and trained to undertake this operation with plausible deniability.
The Houthis have demonstrated a strategic intent to strike naval assets vital to the United States and its allies in the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Hormuz.
The proposal for a frontal assault on a nuclear-powered vessel signifies an intensification of hostility and the Houthis’ readiness to employ drastic actions to fulfill their strategic aims.
Significant Houthi Assaults
The Yemeni Houthi insurgents, affiliated with the Ansar Allah movement, have executed numerous significant assaults in the Red Sea and Gulf area, specifically aiming at maritime routes, petroleum infrastructure, and military resources. Below is a summary of several significant attacks:
1. Focusing on maritime operations in the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. The Red Sea serves as a vital international shipping corridor, with the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which divides Yemen from Djibouti and Eritrea, acting as a critical chokepoint for global oil transportation. The Houthis have consistently assaulted vessels in the Red Sea with various armaments, such as drones, missiles, and naval mines.
The Houthis targeted commercial ships and Saudi-led coalition vessels in the Red Sea. In July 2018, a Houthi missile struck a Saudi Arabian oil tanker. In 2019, the Houthis asserted accountability for a sequence of assaults on vessels traversing the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, alleging foreign intervention in Yemen’s domestic matters.
The Houthis have employed sea mines to obstruct maritime lanes, so disrupting global trade and jeopardizing the safety of merchant vessels and their crews.
2. Assaults on the Oil Infrastructure of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. A fundamental element of the Houthis’ military plan has been the targeting of the oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as these countries are crucial participants in the conflict and significantly dependent on oil exports.
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In September 2019, the Houthis asserted accountability for a significant drone assault on Saudi Aramco’s oil installations, encompassing the Khurais oil field and the Abqaiq processing complex. This assault temporarily incapacitated almost fifty percent of Saudi Arabia’s oil production capacity, leading to a notable surge in global oil prices and underscoring the vulnerabilities within the region’s oil infrastructure.
From 2020 forward, the Houthis persisted in assaulting Saudi oil infrastructure, encompassing refineries, pipelines, and shipping routes, employing a mix of drones and ballistic missiles.
3. Missile and Drone Assaults on the UAE. In January 2022, the Houthis initiated a sequence of missile and drone assaults on the UAE, culminating in a lethal attack on Abu Dhabi International Airport. These assaults were in reprisal for the UAE’s engagement in Yemen, where it backed factions against the Houthi insurgents. The assaults aimed at both civilian and military facilities, indicating the Houthis’ escalating capabilities and readiness to penetrate further into the Gulf.
4. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Assaults on Airports and Military Installations. The Houthis have deployed drones to attack military and civilian installations throughout the Gulf area, inflicting considerable damage on airports, military sites, and air defense systems.
The Houthis asserted accountability for a drone assault on King Khalid International Airport in 2019, a pivotal installation for Saudi Arabian military endeavors.
In 2020, the Houthis persisted in their drone strike campaign targeting Saudi and UAE military assets, encompassing airbases and radar systems, as a component of their overarching aim to weaken the coalition’s military capabilities.
5.Targeting the Military and Air Defense Systems of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Houthis have executed many ballistic missile strikes against targets in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, encompassing military installations and air defense systems. These missiles are frequently intercepted; nonetheless, several have successfully struck their objectives, underscoring the group’s advancing missile capability.
In February 2021, a significant assault was directed at the UAE’s al-Dhafra Air Base, which accommodates U.S. military forces. The assault underscored the Houthis’ advancing missile and drone capabilities, enabling them to target locations deep within Gulf nations.
6. Regional Tensions and Their Impact. The Houthis’ activities in the Red Sea and Gulf region have produced significant geopolitical ramifications, particularly impacting global oil prices and international commerce. Their assaults have escalated tensions among regional powers, particularly Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iran, as Tehran is widely perceived to assist the Houthis, despite its denial of direct involvement.
The recurrent assaults in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea have heightened apprehensions regarding the security of international shipping routes, as the Houthis have demonstrated a capacity to impede global commerce, particularly oil transport. # Escalated Global Tensions: These attacks have further strained relations between Gulf nations and Western powers, notably the U.S. and European countries, which have engaged in endeavors to facilitate peace negotiations and safeguard international trade corridors.
Final Assessment
The Yemeni Houthi rebels pose a substantial danger to regional stability in the Red Sea and Gulf areas, demonstrating the capability to strike vital infrastructure, including shipping lanes and oil installations, with an array of weaponry such as drones, missiles, and sea mines. Their assaults have interrupted global commerce and oil markets, involved foreign armed forces, and exacerbated the intricate proxy dynamics of the ongoing Yemeni Civil War.
