A report appeared on Monday in Der Spiegel indicating that the Houthis may now be sending correspondence to companies, threatening them regarding shipping in the Red Sea.
The report is one of several publicized recently that focus on the Houthis and their tactics, as it continues to target ships, including US naval ships; this is what happens when countries appease such groups.
The Iranian-backed Houthis have been attacking shipping and targeting Israel since October 2023 when Hamas carried out its massacre in southern Israel. The Houthis claim they are carrying out attacks to back up Hamas in Gaza.
The group has shifted its attacks over the last year, focusing alternately on commercial ships, and US naval vessels, and sometimes using drones to target Eilat and even Tel Aviv.
The Houthis arc is precisely what happens when the international community acts in appeasement: The Houthis were not always this powerful. The group burst onto the stage in 2015, threatening the Yemen port city of Aden. Saudi Arabia led an intervention in Yemen to support the government against the Houthi rebels, who were receiving arms from Iran, including missile and drone technology. Even back then, they posed a clear and present danger to shipping and the region.
Instead of the international community backing Saudi Arabia, many countries sought a ceasefire in Yemen. They helped the Houthis grow in power, and an eventual ceasefire left them in control of part of Yemen. They increased their arsenal, using the models of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
$180 million a month
Iran prefers “non-state actor” groups because they are not held to account by the international community – the best of both worlds for Tehran, because the groups can become stronger than the failed states they feed off: Hezbollah is stronger than Lebanon; Hamas is stronger than the Palestinian Authority; the Houthis are stronger than Yemen; the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq are likely stronger than the Baghdad government.
So, the Houthis have been attacking ships, and now may also be extorting companies or finding other ways to maintain their role in seeking to blockade Israel, targeting specific ships and companies; they don’t appear to target Chinese or Russian-linked ships. Iran supplies Russia with drones and has a 25-year deal with China.
The Der Spiegel report noted that “the Houthis obviously have well-researched email addresses, as the threats were also sent to individual contacts,” said Irina Haesler, a member of the Association of German Shipowners management. “Haesler spoke of targeted attempts at intimidation. The association is in contact with security authorities. The statement does not say how many threatening emails German shipowners have received,” the report noted.
Meanwhile, Lloyd’s List noted in early November that a UN panel was investigating the Houthis. The same report noted that the group might be making $180 million a month from charging fees for transit of the Red Sea. “The alleged payment of fees is not the only direct interaction between the growing Houthi operations and shipping companies. According to the report, Houthi-controlled companies are importing oil and liquefied petroleum gas using false country-of-origin certificates, through Hodeidah and Ras Isa, sometimes bypassing inspections by the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism,” the report noted.
Stories of bribes to the Houthis go back a year, and the group may be finding ways to receive money illicitly.
“ShippingWatch, citing multiple Middle Eastern sources with detailed knowledge of the situation, claims that negotiations have been held to ensure Houthi rebels permit vessels from certain carriers to navigate the waters safely, in exchange, these shipping lines must ensure that their cargoes do not include Israeli goods or involve docking at Israeli ports. ShippingWatch did not mention which carriers are involved,” the website GCaptain noted in January. There are doubts as to how much the Houthis may be receiving, as they also rejected the report that they make $180 million a month, according to a report at Lloyd’s List.
Even if the reports are not completely accurate, they paint a picture of how the Houthis are unrestrained and feel they can blackmail, extort, and threaten companies. The group has also maintained its attacks against Israel, despite two waves of Israeli strikes over the past year meant to deter them.
The fact is they are undeterred, and the attempts by the US and other navies to secure the Red Sea have not worked so far. This is what happens when the world appeases these types of groups.
The Houthis will not stop, they will grow bolder and clearly, they now feel they can cut off international shipping at will. The Iranians back them, giving Tehran a foot across one of the world’s key shipping channels.