US-Yemen 바카라�War바카라�: The Siege Of The Red Sea

In October 2023, when the Israel-Gaza war began, sparking the ongoing Middle Eastern crisis, the ripples reached Yemen via the Red Sea. Since then, taking advantage of its geographical position, Yemen바카라�which borders Saudi Arabia, Oman, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea바카라�has taken some strategic steps that have led to, among other things, a global shipping crisis, causing large-scale economic losses.  

The months of disruptions caused by Yemen in the Red Sea바카라�one of the most important arteries in the global shipping system, with one-third of all container traffic flowing through it바카라�along with other factors, have prompted the US to attack Yemen, starting in January 2024.  

In March 2025, the US launched large-scale air and naval attacks against locations in Yemen, marking the most significant American attacks in the Middle East since President Donald Trump바카라�s second term began in January. According to the US Central Command, the attacks mark the beginning of an extensive operation, aiming to restore security in the Red Sea, which had been disrupted for months due to attacks on commercial and military vessels.  

The US military has been specifically targeting the Houthis바카라�the Zaydi Shia Islamist political and military organisation that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s, but rose to international prominence in 2014 when they took control of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. The group has been a central player in Yemen바카라�s civil war, drawing widespread international condemnation for its alleged human rights abuses, including targeting civilians and using child soldiers. The movement is designated as a terrorist organisation by some countries.  

The Houthis are backed by Iran, and they are widely considered part of the Iranian-led 바카라�Axis of Resistance바카라�바카라�an informal coalition of Iranian-supported militant and political organisations across the Middle East. Formed by Iran, it unites actors committed to countering the influence of the US and Israel in the region.  

Hence, when the Israel-Hamas Gaza war began, the Houthis first fired drones and missiles towards Israel. Most were intercepted. Then, they started attacking commercial ships바카라� largely made possible by Iran바카라�s backing바카라�and launched missiles and drones on ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea바카라�an obligatory route for vessels transiting the Suez Canal. As per reports, from October 2023 to March 2024, the Houthis attacked more than 60 vessels in the Red Sea. While initially they said any Israel-linked ship is a target, including US and UK warships, they have also indiscriminately attacked the ships of many nations with no connection to Israel.  

The Houthis portray their attacks on ships in the Red Sea as an act of solidarity with Palestinians. They hope that the costs of the trade disruptions will encourage Western governments to pressure Israel into accepting a ceasefire in Gaza. But they have their ulterior motives. On one hand, they are seizing the opportunity to bolster their popularity in Yemen, on the other, they want to depict themselves as being on the frontlines of a regional war against Israel and the US, and are trying to attract international attention and demonstrate that larger actors cannot simply ignore them. 

Attacks on vessels have disrupted international trade on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia바카라�which accounts for about 15 per cent of the world바카라�s shipping traffic and 40 per cent of Asia-Europe trade바카라�and has forced several shipping companies to reroute their vessels, diverting around $200 billion in trade. Their vessels are now forced to take an alternative and much longer route around South Africa바카라�s Cape of Good Hope, causing major changes and delays. The rerouting is costing them $1 million more round trip in additional fuel costs. Despite this, hundreds of ships have chosen the longer route. On the other hand, insurance premiums for ships using the Red Sea have shot up nearly tenfold since the attacks began.  

Any sustained disruption in trade in the Red Sea is likely to send a ripple effect of higher costs throughout the world economy바카라�12 per cent of seaborne oil and 8 per cent of liquified natural gas (LNG) transit the Suez Canal. 

Since January 2024, the US and the UK, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, have launched a series of cruise missiles and airstrikes, codenamed Operation Poseidon Archer, against the Houthis. The strikes were intended to degrade Houthi capabilities to attack Red Sea targets rather than to kill leaders and Iranian trainers. However, as of January 2, 2025, the Houthis allegedly recorded 931 American and British airstrikes against its sites in Yemen, resulting in 106 deaths and 314 injuries.  

On March 15, 2025, after launching large-scale military strikes against Houthis, Trump wrote on Truth Social: 바카라�To all Houthi terrorists, your time is up, and your attacks must stop, starting today. If they don바카라�t, hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before!바카라� He also added a warning to Iran, saying that support for the Houthis needs to end now: 바카라�America will hold you fully accountable, and we won't be nice about it!바카라� Since then, the US military has conducted large-scale strikes on Houthis, targeting the group바카라�s senior leadership, training sites, command centres and weapons facilities, and killing at least fifty-three people.  

Even amid Trump바카라�s claims that 바카라�they will be completely annihilated,바카라� the Houthis remain defiant. The militant group바카라�s foreign minister has said that they now see themselves at war with the US, meaning they바카라�ll defend themselves 바카라�with all possible means, so escalation is likely.바카라� On March 24, the US military launched a fresh strike on Houthi-controlled Hodeidah airport. Yemen vowed to retaliate. A sustained US military campaign may degrade the grip that the Houthis hold over Yemen바카라�s seaports and smuggling networks that allow them to secure their resilience.  

However, amid growing tensions, two pertinent questions emerge바카라�How did it reach this stage and what impact will it have on the people in Yemen who have been grappling with a civil war since 2014.  

Fighting under the banner of 바카라�God Is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam,바카라� the Houthis emerged after October 7, 2023, as one of the Middle East바카라�s most influential non-state actors. 

Once thought of as a rag-tag militia, Houthis have rapidly acquired, enhanced, and deployed advanced military technologies to target ships. Their arsenal, which is smuggled into the country piece by piece from Iranian and Iranian-aligned suppliers in the region, now includes many modified Iranian anti-ship ballistic missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and unmanned surface vessels.  

In the short span of less than two years, Houthis have emerged as a unit that is having disproportionate effects on international stability. Some experts believe the US strikes could also reignite the civil war in Yemen that began in 2014바카라�when Houthi forces took over the capital city Sanaa and the바카라�government. The UN-brokered바카라�truce in 2022 came as a hope, but the pause in fighting바카라�between the Saudi-led coalition and Iranian-backed Houthis is now at risk because of the volatile situation across the Middle East.  

Sustained US attacks are going to affect Yemenis who are already suffering. As per UN agencies, an estimated 4.5 million people are currently displaced. Nearly 21.6 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance and protection services. More than 4.5 million children of school age do not attend schools. Nearly 18 million Yemenis don바카라�t know if or when they will eat another meal. Nearly 19.7 million people lack access to basic health services. The economy is facing mounting crises. There is a sharp decline in state revenues, a continuous deterioration in the value of the national currency, a lack of confidence in investments, and a near-total paralysis in the maintenance and development of infrastructure.  

Yemenis, who have lived through years of war, are worried that things will get worse if the US intensifies its campaign and Houthis decide to retaliate with full force, as they have promised.