The Houthi insurgency in Yemen began in 2004 against the regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh. In 2015, a coalition of Arab countries led by Riyadh and supported by Washington launched the war against the Houthis.
The Houthis returned to the headlines last November, when they began attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden that they believe are linked to Israel. More than 80% of global trade in goods is carried out by sea and 12% of it passes through this area controlled by the Houthi rebels.