The rebels who attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea during the Middle East war were the Houthis — members of a radical Islamic sect based in the Arab world’s poorest country, Yemen.
The Houthis have shown solidarity with the Palestinians against Israel by shooting at foreign ships in the region. Their antics prompted the US military to sink three of their ships Sunday.
The rebels, officially named Ansar Allah, or “Supporters of God,” are backed by Iran, sharing a common enemy, Saudi Arabia, with different religious sects.
The Houthi family emerged from Yemen’s mountains in the 1990s and gained a following as it fought in the country’s protracted civil war, CNN said. In 2014, rebel groups gained enough strength to seize the capital Sanaa.
A radical sect of Shia Islam has grown in recent years, fueled by the militant slogan “God is Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam.”
The cargo ship “Galaxy Leader,” co-owned by an Israeli company, was seized by the Iran-backed Houthis in November. Anadolu via Getty Images
The Houthi rebels emerged from northern Yemen in the 1990s and have grown stronger in recent years. Reuters
Together with the terrorists Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis form the “Axis of Resistance” against Israel, the US and the West and its allies.
The Houthis declared war on shipping in the Red Sea, threatening global trade, as Israel attacked Gaza in response to a deadly sneak attack on the Jewish state by Hamas on Oct. 7.
Over the weekend, two US warships, the USS Eisenhower and the USS Gravely, responded to a distress call from the Singapore-flagged ship Maersk Hangzhou after it was attacked by four rebel ships. American forces sank three of the ships as tensions in the region escalated.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
