Yemeni Rebels Slow Global Oil Flow In Red Sea

‘BUDRUS, by Julia Bacha, follows a Palestinian leader who unites Fatah, Hamas and Israelis in an unarmed movement to save his village from destruction.

RED SEA - Iran-aided Houthi rebels of Yemen have been attacking trade ships in the Red Sea, firing drones and missiles, and boarding and seizing vessels. The Houthis are members of a minority Shia Muslim sect in northern Yemen, who emerged as a rebel group fighting the Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh in the 1990s. 

An estimated 7 million barrels of oil normally travel through the sea per day. Oil prices could rise as fears rise about the problems confronting global shipping and logistics. An Atlantic Council report noted that journeys could increase by two weeks because of the re-routing through Africa. 

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday announced a multinational operation, called Operation Prosperity Guardian, to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea in response to the attacks. The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain have joined the operation, Austin said.

Houthi rebels claimed earlier this month they would target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of nationality, and warned all international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports. They said this is in protest of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza since October 7. Houthis’ support for Palestine is a manifestation of existing regional and sectarian rivalries as well.

On Tuesday, a pre-dawn Israeli strike levelled a residential building in Gaza’s Rafah, killing 27 people including a 17-day-old baby. Since October 7, about 20,000 people have died in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, of which more than 7,729 are children. More than 8,000 people are reported to be missing.