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British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said that his country will support Saudi Arabia in the fight against the Houthi armed group. He said that Britain will provide 'defensive' military assistance to Saudi Arabia.
Britain will help Saudi Arabia with "defensive air-to-air refueling". Prime Minister Burnham said the decision was taken following a request for "military assistance" from Saudi Arabia.
There is a civil war going on between Yemen's internationally recognized government and Houthi fighters. Neighboring country Saudi Arabia supports the government of Yemen in this war.
In recent days, the Houthis have claimed that they have attacked energy installations in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh and areas along the Red Sea with drones and ballistic missiles.
Saudi Arabia recently alleged that Houthi fighters tried to attack the holy city of Mecca. However, according to Saudi Arabia, its air defense system stopped and destroyed Houthi attacks on the outskirts of Mecca itself.
This alleged attack was criticized by many Muslim countries and leaders of the world.
However, the Houthi group and its supporters have denied this allegation of Saudi Arabia as wrong. Thousands of Houthi supporters also demonstrated against Saudi Arabia in Yemen.
Why is the Red Sea important for global shipping?
Earlier in January 2024, Britain, along with America, had carried out air strikes on Houthi targets across Yemen.
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At the time, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that Britain "acted in self-defense" after the ships were targeted. A warship of the Royal Navy was also included in these ships.
After this, the conflict with Houthi fighters in Yemen remained calm for some time. But in the last few weeks the tension has increased once again. Houthis have strengthened their hold in many areas of Yemen.
These also include important shipping routes passing through the Red Sea. These sea routes are very important for global trade and economy.
Recently the Houthis captured the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha and Perim Island. Perim Island is located at the entrance to the Red Sea.
This area is part of an important shipping route used for Saudi Arabia.
Houthi fighters have forced the government army to retreat from many places by launching sudden attacks. They have captured almost the entire coastal area along the Red Sea of Yemen.
This area also includes the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This is a very important sea route for international shipping.
The sea route of Bab al-Mandeb has become even more important amid the fear of the Strait of Hormuz being almost completely closed or shipping there being affected after Israel and America's attacks on Iran.
This sea route is also used for most of Saudi Arabia's energy trade. Now Saudi Arabia's concern has increased due to the capture of Houthis.
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The Houthis had captured most of the populated areas of Yemen several years ago. This month they have made rapid advances along the coast of Yemen towards the Bab al-Mandeb.
The United Nations estimates that more than one lakh people have been displaced in the last few days due to the sudden increase in fighting on Yemen's Red Sea coast.
The UN-brokered ceasefire between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in 2022 was already unstable. In recent months it has completely broken down. Both sides are using missiles, drones and air strikes.
Saudi Arabia supports the internationally recognized government of Yemen. He has carried out hundreds of air strikes in this flat coastal area.
At the same time, Houthis are strengthening their position in this area. They have also fired hundreds of drones and missiles at cities and infrastructure in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Due to this conflict, the importance of Djibouti, a small African country on the other side of the Red Sea, has also suddenly increased. Djibouti is located right in front of Bab el-Mandeb.
Djibouti is among the countries with the largest number of military bases in the world. It was once a colony of France.
Since 2003, America has been running a big military base here, where armies of many countries are present. China also has a big military base here. This is China's largest military presence in the Indian Ocean region. Recently it has been further improved.
However, Djibouti has made it clear that it has no intention of getting involved in the ongoing war between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
Who are the Houthi rebels?
The Houthis are an armed group of Yemen's minority Shia 'Zaidi' community.
This community had formed this group in the 1990s to fight against the alleged corruption of the then President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
It was named after the founder of the campaign, Hussein al-Houthi. Houthis also call themselves 'Ansar Allah' i.e. 'companions of God'.
A slogan given by Houthi rebels during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. In this, slogans were raised against America and Israel and talk of victory of Islam was said.
The Houthis have described themselves as part of an Iran-led "axis of resistance" along with Hamas and Hezbollah. This group is against Israel, America and western countries.
Houthis also call themselves allies of Iran. Both have a common opponent, Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis have also been accused of getting weapons from Iran. America and Saudi Arabia allege that Iran has also provided ballistic missiles to the Houthi rebels.
Iran's support and Hezbollah model
Saudi Arabia has alleged that Iran has also provided cruise missiles and drones to the Houthi rebels.
Largely populated areas of Yemen are under the control of Houthi rebels. His organization collects taxes in the northern part of the country and also issues its own currency.
The Houthi rebels also draw inspiration from Lebanon's armed Shia group Hezbollah.
According to the US research institute 'Combating Terrorism Center', Hezbollah has provided large-scale military training and expertise to the Houthis since 2014.
In early 2014, the Houthis became politically strong in Yemen. At that time he started a rebellion against President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Hadi became President after Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The Houthis made an agreement with their old enemy Saleh. They wanted to bring him back to power.
The Houthis took control of Saada province in the northern part of Yemen. After this, in the beginning of 2015, they also captured the capital Sanaa.
After this, President Hadi left Yemen and went abroad.
Yemen's neighbor Saudi Arabia intervened militarily. He tried to bring Hadi back to power by removing the Houthis from power. UAE and Bahrain also supported Saudi Arabia in this campaign.
