The Red Sea crisis is an ongoing armed conflict and maritime crisis instigated by the Houthis, an armed group in Yemen fighting a civil war against the country's internationally recognized government. The Houthis began launching missiles and armed drones at Israel in response to the Gaza war, and have seized or attacked dozens of merchant and naval vessels travelling through the Red Sea which they claimed are linked to Israel. These actions provoked a military response from Israel, as well as the United States and the United Kingdom. The crisis is linked to the Middle Eastern crisis, the Iran–Israel proxy conflict, and the Yemeni crisis.
Since 2014, the Houthi-led Supreme Political Council, who oppose the Saudi-backed government of Yemen and receive support from Iran, have controlled a considerable swath of the country's western territories, including most of the national Red Sea coastline. Shortly after the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Hamas-allied group began to launch missiles and drones at Israel. It has also fired on merchant vessels in the Red Sea, particularly in the Bab-el-Mandeb, the southern maritime chokepoint of the Red Sea (the northern chokepoint being the Suez canal), inflicting damage on the global economy. The group declared that it would not stop until Israel ceased military operations in Gaza.
The Houthis declared any Israel-linked ship was a target for attack, including US and UK warships, but they also attacked the ships of nations with no connection to Israel. The Houthis have attacked 178 vessels throughout their two-year blockade, according to the NGO Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, sinking four ships and killing nine sailors. To avoid being attacked, hundreds of commercial vessels were rerouted to sail around South Africa.
Houthi Red Sea attacks have drawn military responses from a number of countries. In January 2024, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2722, condemning the Houthi attacks and affirming freedom of navigation. The United States-led Operation Prosperity Guardian was launched to protect Red Sea shipping. From 12 January 2024, the US and UK led coalition air and missile strikes against the Houthis, while other countries are independently attacking Houthi vessels in the Red Sea. On 3 May 2024, Yemeni general Yahya Saree said, "We will target any ships heading to Israeli ports in the Mediterranean Sea in any area we are able to reach". On 6 May 2025, US president Donald Trump announced a cessation of US strikes as a result of a bilateral ceasefire between the US and the Houthis. The Houthis halted their attacks on international shipping and on Israel after the Gaza peace plan went into effect on 10 October 2025. Some major shipping corporations, such as Maersk, have since resumed their Red Sea routes, while others have held off due to the volatile situation. As of May 2026, daily traffic through the strait was around 31 ships per day, as it had been since January 2024, remaining below the pre-war level of 75 ships per day.
During the war on Iran by the United States and Israel, the Houthis threatened to escalate the conflict on 28 February 2026. A month later on 28 March, the Houthis resumed their attacks on Israel amidst the war against Iran. On 13 July, the group resumed its attacks against Saudi Arabia and by 20 July, they announced a blockade of Saudi Arabian ports and ships in the Bab-el-Mandeb in response to the ongoing Saudi-led intervention and blockade against Houthi-controlled Yemen. On 30 July 2026, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, and Comoros formed the Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance to ensure the freedom of navigation through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.
Background
Houthis within Yemen
The Houthi movement is an Iran-backed Zaydi Shia Islamist militant organization that exercises control over parts of Yemen, though it is not the country's internationally recognized government. The Houthi takeover in Yemen in 2014 resulted in the group's acquisition of the capital city of Sanaa, but the anti-Houthi Presidential Leadership Council remains recognized by the international community as Yemen's legitimate government.
After this conflict grew into an ongoing civil war, millions of residents were internally displaced, and a Saudi-led coalition responded by imposing a blockade of Yemen. These combined to shrink the economy by half and contributed to famine in Yemen since 2016, one of the worst in the world. The US military destroyed drones in Yemen's Houthi-held region and over the Red Sea due to perceived threats, exacerbating tensions in the conflict-ridden area. This comes amidst ongoing attacks by the Houthis and challenges to diplomatic efforts to end the Yemeni war.
Houthis and the Gaza war
Following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which triggered the Gaza war, numerous Iran-backed militant groups across the Middle East (including the Houthis) expressed support for the Palestinians and threatened to attack Israel. Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi warned the United States against intervening in support of Israel, threatening that such an intervention would be met with retaliation by drone and missile strikes. In order to end their attacks in the Red Sea, the Houthis demanded a ceasefire in the Gaza war and an end to the accompanying Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Weapons used by Houthi militants
According to Armament Research Services, Houthi weapons are mostly of Russian, Chinese or Iranian origin. They are known to use surface-to-surface missiles, artillery rockets, loitering munitions and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). They have several missiles and UAVs capable of reaching Israel from Yemen:
- Toufan – a surface-to-surface missile, with a range of 1,800 km (1,100 mi).
- Cruise missiles – from the Iranian Soumar family, with strike ranges of about 2,000 km (1,200 mi).
- Quds-2 missile – supposedly with a range of 1,350 km (840 mi) but made to strike Israel.
- Samad-3 and Samad-4 – UAVs/loitering munitions with ranges of 1,800 km (1,100 mi) and further.
- Wa'id drones – similar to Iran's Shahed 136, loitering munition with a range of 2,500 km (1,600 mi).
- Naval drones – 7 metres (23 ft) unmanned surface vessels (USVs) laden with explosives.
Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb
The Bab-el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and is therefore considered a trade artery. The corridor handles nearly 10% of global trade and roughly 5%-7% (approximately 6%) of global oil shipments. Threats and attacks can cause major shipping disruptions, forcing commercial vessels and oil tankers to avoid the route and reroute around Africa's Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks of travel time and higher costs.
Timeline of events
Early phase (2023)
The Houthis began firing missiles and drones at Israel in October 2023, alongside other members of the Iran-led Axis of Resistance. On 19 October 2023, American warship USS Carney intercepted four Houthi land-attack cruise missiles and 15 drones launched towards Israel over the Red Sea. On 27 October, the Houthis launched two drones targeting Israel, however they fell short of their target and instead struck Egypt, injuring six civilians in Taba. Israel's Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 air defense systems saw their first uses in combat on 31 October and 9 November respectively, intercepting Houthi weapons.
On 18 December, the United States announced the start of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational naval protection force aiming to counter Houthi attacks on merchant vessels. On 31 December, several Houthis were killed by US Navy helicopters while attempting to attack the container ship Maersk Hangzhou in the Red Sea.
2024
US–UK strikes on Yemen and Operation Aspides
On 12 January 2024, the US and UK, with support from several other countries, launched a campaign of air and missile strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, codenamed Operation Poseidon Archer. On the first day of the operation, over 60 targets were struck and five Houthis were killed.
On 19 February, the European Union launched Operation Aspides, a naval mission with the goal of protecting international shipping from Houthi attacks. On 30 May, the US and UK conducted strikes against 13 Houthi targets across Yemen. The Houthis claimed that 16 civilians were killed and 40 more were injured.
Escalation between Israel and the Houthis
On 19 July, a Houthi Samad-3 drone struck a building in Tel Aviv, killing one civilian and wounding ten others. Israel responded on 20 July by conducting airstrikes on targets in the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeidah, including an oil refinery and other infrastructure. At least six people were killed and 83 others were injured. Israel again struck Yemen on 29 September, hitting targets at the ports of Ras Isa and Hodeidah and killing several people.
On 19 December, Israel struck several targets at the ports of as-Salif, Ras Isa, and Hodeidah, as well as two power plants in Sanaa, killing nine people. On 26 December, Israel struck sites in Sanaa, including the Sanaa International Airport, and the ports of Ras Isa and Hodeidah. The attacks killed six people and injured dozens, including a United Nations staffer accompanying a delegation led by World Health Organization director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who was at the airport during the strikes.
2025
Gaza war ceasefire (January)
The Houthis stated that they would pause their attacks on Israel and international shipping after a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on 16 January 2025. US strikes on the Houthis also halted with the ceasefire agreement. On 22 January, the 25 crew members of the Galaxy Leader, an Israel-linked vessel hijacked by the Houthis in November 2023, were released in a deal mediated by Oman.
March–May United States attacks in Yemen
On 15 March, the US launched began a campaign of intense airstrikes against the Houthis codenamed Operation Rough Rider. On the first day of the operation, dozens of airstrikes hit Houthi targets across seven provinces in Yemen, killing 53 people. US president Donald Trump said that the attacks hit Houthi bases, missile systems, and leaders, and were intended to defend US shipping and military assets. At least 74 people were killed in a bombing at Ras Issa port on 17 April, marking the deadliest US strike during the operation. On 28 April, another strike on a detention center in Saada Governorate killed 68 African migrants and injured 47.
On 6 May, the US halted its attacks on the Houthis following a ceasefire agreement where the Houthis would no longer target American shipping. By then, the US conducted strikes on over 1,000 targets in Yemen. Airwars reported that the strikes killed 224 civilians, almost double the total civilian death toll of all previous US operations in Yemen since 2002 combined. The campaign cost the US over $750 million and saw the loss of seven MQ-9 Reaper drones.
Continuation of the Israel–Houthi conflict
On 4 May, a Houthi missile evaded Israeli air defenses and struck near a terminal of the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, marking the Houthis' first direct hit near the airport; six people were lightly-to-moderately injured. The following day, Israel struck targets in Hodeidah, killing four people. Israel struck the Sanaa International Airport on 7 May, killing three people and destroying three airplanes belonging to Yemenia. The last remaining Yemenia airplane was destroyed in another strike on the airport on 28 May.
During the Twelve-Day War in June 2025, the Houthis coordinated their attacks on Israel with Iran, launching their first attack two days after the conflict began. On 14 June, Israel attempted to assassinate Houthi chief of staff Muhammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari in Sanaa; however, he survived. On 24 August, days after the Houthis fired a cluster munition at Israel for the first time, Israel conducted several strikes in Sanaa, including on the area of the Presidential Palace. At least ten people were killed and 102 others were injured. On 28 August, an Israeli strike hit a gathering of senior Houthi leaders in Sanaa, killing twelve members of the Houthi-controlled Cabinet of Yemen; including prime minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, and fatally wounding al-Ghamari.
On 7 September, a Houthi drone struck the passenger terminal at Ramon Airport. On 10 September, Israeli strikes in Sanaa and Al Jawf Governorate killed 46 people and injured 165 others. Thirty-one journalists were killed in an attack on a media complex in Sanaa, making it the second deadliest attack on media workers recorded by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
On 18 September, a Houthi drone directly struck a hotel in Eilat. Another drone strike in Eilat injured 22 people, two seriously, on 24 September. The following day, Israel struck several Houthi targets in Sanaa in its largest strikes in Yemen to date. Israeli defense minister Israel Katz claimed that "many dozens" of Houthis were killed. The Houthi health ministry said that nine people were killed and over 140 were injured.
Gaza war ceasefire (October)
The Houthis paused their attacks on Israel and international shipping after a ceasefire in Gaza was reached on 10 October, and signaled that they had halted the attacks in an undated letter to Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades published in November 2025, but threatened to resume them if Israel broke the ceasefire. On 3 December, 11 crew members taken captive from the Greek-owned Eternity C cargo vessel were released by the Houthis.
On 25 December, the Houthis announced the deaths of several senior commanders, including Zakaria Abdullah Yahya Hajar, the head of their missile and drone unit. Although the circumstances of their deaths were not given, it was reported that they were killed by US airstrikes in March.
2026
On 28 February 2026, in response to the 2026 Iran war, the Houthis threatened to escalate the conflict and resume attacks in the Red Sea. The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg urged the Houthis to refrain from escalatory actions, stating that “no party has the right to drag the country into a broader conflict that would bring more suffering to the Yemeni people."
The Houthis continued to make more statements supporting Iran but avoided resuming hostilities, not wanting to open multiple fronts in the current Yemeni civil war, which has been waging since 2014 and to focus on ending the conflict with Saudi Arabia. UK's The Times reported on 16 March that the Houthis are awaiting an Iranian signal to resume attacks if US military actions weaken Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz. Despite disruptions, the Bab el-Mandeb remains the only viable oil route, with around 30 tankers near the Saudi port city of Yanbu currently within Houthi strike range, and Houthi forces remaining generally passive.
Around 20 March, Senior Houthi politburo member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said that the group was considering a naval blockade and would specifically target vessels belonging to "aggressor countries" involved in military actions against Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine, describing it as a strategic measure to support Iran's ongoing confrontation with the US and Israel.
On 28 March, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile at Israel, joining the war. The Houthis later warned that the closure of the Bab-el-Mandeb was "likely" and threatened to do so if the conflict against Iran and Lebanon escalated sharply, or if the Gulf Arab states joined the war. Following the declaration of the 2026 Iran war ceasefire, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi called it as a "great victory" for Iran and the Axis of Resistance, while warning of further attacks depending on future developments.