The Red Sea, a route for nearly 30 percent of global container traffic and vital oil shipments from the Gulf to Europe and the United States, is facing a growing risk of disruption due to attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Why It Matters

The Iran-backed Houthi movement, Ansar Allah, has disrupted shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, targeting American and allied vessels. These attacks have increased freight and insurance costs, forcing ships to reroute.

In response, the U.S. has launched airstrikes against Houthi forces to protect naval assets and ensure the safety of commercial shipping in the region. The Houthis say their actions are retaliation for Israel’s military operations in Gaza and that they are not targeting all shipping.

What To Know

The Houthis began targeting commercial shipping on November 19, 2023, and claimed their first attack on a U.S. warship on January 9, 2024. In response, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2722 on January 10, 2024, condemning the maritime attacks and calling for their immediate cessation.

By 2024, the Red Sea faced an unprecedented shipping crisis and a decline in traffic. By March 2024, traffic through the Suez Canal and Bab el-Mandeb Strait had halved, while shipping via the Cape of Good Hope surged by 100 percent, according to a World Bank report.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, located at the southern entrance of the Red Sea, is a chokepoint for global oil shipments, particularly for crude oil traveling from the Gulf to Europe and the Americas.

The Suez Canal, which accounts for approximately 10 to 12 percent of global maritime trade, saw a 50 percent decline in trade volume in early 2024 compared to the previous year, to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) observed. The disruption impacted global supply chains, driving up shipping costs and delivery times.

Traffic had risen back again, but has come under new threat as the Houthis have said they will launch new attacks since Israel resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The U.S. had delisted the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization during the Biden administration, but the State Department earlier this month relisted the group under order from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

What People Are Saying

Yemen’s Houthi Military Spokesperson Yahya Sarea: “The American aggressor bears full responsibility for the consequences of militarizing the Red Sea and expanding the scope of confrontation by continuing its aggression against Yemen, which negatively affects international shipping.”

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell: “The Houthis could stop this tomorrow if they [agree] to stop shooting at [our] people. But they’ve clearly chosen not to do that. And so, this campaign will be relentless to degrade their capability and to open up shipping lanes in the region and to defend our homeland.”

What Happens Next

Concerns are growing on the Red Sea conflict’s impact on global shipping amid a sustained U.S. military offensive and Houthis threat to continue attacks.