As recently as 2019, Houthi rebels attacked an oil refinery complex in Saudi Arabia, knocking off 4 m b/d of capacity for several weeks.

Source: https://seekingalpha.com/article/4611129-goehring-and-rozencwajg-q1-2023-natural-resource-market-commentary?source=feed_all_articles

CAIRO—Saudi officials were in Yemen’s capital on Sunday for talks with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, as part of international efforts to find a settlement to Yemen’s nine-year conflict, officials said.

Source: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/04/10/china-military-displays-force-toward-taiwan-after-tsai-trip/

However, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been launching a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, as well as launching drones and missiles targeting Israel as it wages war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Source: https://www.samfordcrimson.com/pentagon-says-us-warship-commercial-vessels-under-attack-in-red-sea-2023-12-03.html

Iran has supported Shia Houthi rebels who forced out the Saudi-backed government in 2014, while Saudi Arabia has led a devastating air campaign against the Houthis since the following year.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-64906996?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

Israel’s military said Yemen-based Houthi rebels had seized a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea sailing from Turkey to India but said no Israelis were aboard and that it wasn’t an Israeli ship.

Source: https://calgary.citynews.ca/2023/11/19/un-team-says-32-babies-are-among-scores-of-critically-ill-patients-stranded-in-gazas-main-hospital/

It is the latter location where the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have chosen to launch a spate of missile and drone attacks on US Navy units and merchant shipping.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/indian-navy-read-sea-threat-yemen-iran-hamas-attack-on-israel-israel-hamas-war-9087994/

LONDON (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels have escalated attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea during the Israel-Hamas war, raising concerns about the impact on the flow of oil, grain and consumer goods through a major global trade artery.

Source: https://wtop.com/europe/2023/12/how-are-houthi-attacks-on-ships-in-the-red-sea-affecting-global-trade/

Most of the deaths occurred in Yemen’s northern province of Saada, a stronghold for the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Source: https://www.aol.com/news/un-agency-2022-one-deadliest-143633943.html

Shapps said attacks on commercial ships in the global trade artery by Yemen's Houthi rebels ''represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security."

Source: https://www.startribune.com/us-and-britain-say-their-navies-shot-down-15-attack-drones-over-the-red-sea/600328746/

Somali piracy had dropped in recent years, but there has been growing concern it could resume amid the political uncertainty in the country and wider chaos in the region that has included by Yemeni Houthi rebels.

Source: https://www.mymcmurray.com/2023/12/16/the-indian-navy-is-shadowing-a-bulk-carrier-likely-taken-by-somali-pirates-in-the-arabian-sea/

The apparent warning comes a day after a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that Iran has been providing intelligence to Yemen’s Houthi rebels on ship locations in the Red Sea during the recent series of attacks on commercial vessels in the area.

Source: https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2248745/new-threat-iranian-commander-says-mediterranean-sea-could-be-shut-down-over-us-crimes.html

The drone’s origin was not immediately clear, but Yemen’s Houthi rebels have disrupted global trade in the Red Sea with attacks on international vessels, and have launched drones and missiles towards Israel.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/26/fears-of-regional-escalation-as-israel-warns-of-multi-front-war

US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to MBZ Tuesday night for the anniversary of the deadly missile strike on the UAE by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Source: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/01/uae-hosts-gulf-leaders-including-qatars-along-egypt-jordan

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for striking two ships but did not acknowledge targeting the US Navy.

Source: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/white-house-idf-mistaken-hostage-killing-terrible-tragedy

Yemen’s Houthi rebels issued a new warning to the United States on Friday, cautioning against any military escalation and pledging to continue attacks on “Israel-related” commercial ships in the Red Sea.

Source: http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2023/12/yemens-houthis-renew-warning-to-us-vow.html