The Houthi rebels have been firing drones and missiles towards Israel in response to the war in the Gaza strip. They have also been hijacking ships which have any relation to Israel. E.g. those sailing towards Israel’s ports.
The Houthis have also been firing at US and UK ships. Claiming they are firing in retaliation to “American – British aggression”. The UK and US have been carrying out air strikes in Yemen targeting Houthi targets.
Many major shipping companies have been avoiding the usual route through the Red Sea due to the volatility involved in that area. This has led to them taking a longer route around southern Africa, this longer route comes with an increased cost and led to a 1.3% drop in global trade in December last year.
Recently the Houthi have claimed responsibility for an attack on a British cargo ship, The Rubymar. The attack has been labelled as the most damaging attack so far by the Houthi. The crew on board the ship have been taken to safety and the ship has been abandoned.
The UK has condemned the Houthi labelling the attack as “completely unacceptable”.