Leaders in Beijing might have thought that their ties to Iran immunized China’s global shipping conglomerates and its economy more generally from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi (Ansarallah) movement on global shipping through the Red Sea.| The Soufan Center
Last week, citing more than 30 Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea over the past month, U.S. officials designated the Houthis in Yemen as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT)” group.| The Soufan Center
On at least three occasions since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Zaidi Shia Houthi movement in Yemen has launched volleys of Iran-supplied land attack cruise missiles and armed drones toward Israel, which is over 1,000 miles from Yemen.| The Soufan Center
Bolstered by their persistent threat to Red Sea shipping traffic, the Houthis have emerged as the most effective component of Iran’s axis of resistance, even if Lebanese Hezbollah remains the most potent group within the broader proxy constellation.| The Soufan Center
The Houthi movement has progressively escalated its involvement in the Israel-Hamas war, even amid its unresolved conflict with the Saudi and United Arab Emirates (UAE)-backed Republic of Yemen government.| The Soufan Center