October 7, 2023, will be remembered as one of the darkest days in the tumultuous history of the Middle East. On this day, Hamas militants in Gaza launched a surprise attack on civilians within Israel's borders. Whether Hamas leadership had clearly defined objectives and were aware of the consequences of their actions before launching the attack is a question that can be best answered by them alone. One thing is certain: this attack shattered the fragile peace that had settled over the Middle East in recent years and has resulted in creating a humanitarian crisis in the region. As Hamas clashed with the Israeli military, other militant groups in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, also became increasingly active. Both the Hezbollah and the Houthi are Shiite militant groups backed extensively by Iran. The Houthis not only want to have complete control over Yemen and are fighting against the Yeminis government, but also support external movements against Sunni dominated Saudi Arabia and wage wars against Israel and the USA. With the breaking of the fresh conflict between the Hamas and Israeli Defence Forces the Houthis have expectedly jumped to aid of Hamas.�
While their presumed target is Israel, the Houthis extended their reach by attacking shipping lanes from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Yemen and beyond. Their stated goal was to support the Palestinians and pressure Israel to halt its military campaign in Gaza. By threatening and attacking international shipping lines they aimed to coerce the international community into pressuring Israel. However, these tactics backfired, as the US and its allies called the Houthis' bluff and launched attacks on Houthi targets within Yemen.
More than the Houthi aggression on the high seas, the world was shocked by the sophisticated arsenal of technologically advanced missiles the Houthis used to attack the ships. Clearly, such an arsenal couldn't have been accumulated without external assistance, and it is generally believed that Iranians have armed the Houthis with this deadly arsenal through their proxy, Hezbollah. The United States intelligence community believes that the projectiles used were the Iranian Noor anti ship missiles which are basically reverse engineered Chinese missiles. But that's one aspect of the story.�
It is one thing to possess missile arsenals, but the audacity of a small regional militant organization to attack international shipping is equally perplexing.
Looking at the shipping losses since the start of the conflict, panic amongst�shipping companies is very much justified. Since October 2023, at least 30 ships have been damaged in Houthi missile attacks. Two ships one UK owned and another Greek owned have been sunk in these attacks. Not only have this at the time of writing this blog two ships been hijacked by the Houthi rebels. While one of the ships and its crew has been released, the other one along with its crew are still in Houthi custody.
Given the shipping losses since the start of the conflict, the panic among shipping companies is justified. Since October 2023, at least 30 ships have been damaged by Houthi missile attacks. Two shipsone UK-owned and another Greek-ownedhave been sunk in these attacks. Additionally, at the time of this writing, two ships have been hijacked by the Houthi rebels. While one of the ships and its crew has been released, the other remains in Houthi custody.
The strategic importance of the Red Sea shipping lanes, through which more than thirty percent of global shipping passes, underscores the urgency of stopping these attacks immediately. Beyond military interventions, diplomatic pressure must be exerted on the Houthis, as their actions are counterproductive and destabilizing. The ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza are unaffected by Houthi actions, and tensions may escalate further if Israel proceeds with plans to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon, a staunch ally of the Houthis. This would exacerbate the situation for Red Sea shipping operations.
Diplomacy remains the only viable solution to this quagmire. For diplomatic efforts to succeed, major stakeholders must engage with Iran, which provides substantial support to the Houthis. This is Iranian Noor Missile Credit Wiki challenging, given the adversarial relationships between Iran, the US, and Israel. Russia, which could have applied pressure on Iran, is sidelined due to Western sanctions over the Ukraine-Russia conflict. This leaves China as a potential influencer, but the Chinese have little incentive to intervene since no Chinese-flagged ships have been attacked by the Houthis.
