How Yemeni Houthi rebel attacks on ships in the Red Sea are crimping global trade
Houthi rebels have rerouted most of the trade normally flowing through the crucial maritime artery for consumer goods and energy supplies, a shift that's delaying shipments and raising transport costs.
The impact struck home Friday when electric car maker Tesla said it had to shut down its factory outside Berlin from Jan. 29 to Feb. 11 due to delays in supply chains, and as U.S.-led airstrikes hit what the Navy said were Houthi missile and drone launch sites in Yemen.
Oil, natural gas, grain and everything from toys to electronics typically travel through the waterway separating Africa and the Arabian Peninsula en route to the Suez Canal, where 12% of the world's trade passes.
Some of the world's largest container shipping companies and oil giant BP have been sending vessels on longer journeys that bypass the Red Sea. In response to the growing impact to global trade, the United States and a host of other nations have created a new force to protect ships.
Here are things to know about the recent attacks and the impact on global shipping:
WHY ARE HOUTHIS ATTACKING SHIPS?
The Houthis are Iranian-backed rebels who seized most of northern Yemen and the country's capital of Sanaa in 2014. The following year, a Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict, seeking to restore Yemen's internationally recognized government to power.
The Houthis have sporadically targeted ships in the region, but the attacks have increased since the start of the Oct. 7 Israel-Hamas war. They have used drones and anti-ship missiles to attack vessels and in one case used a helicopter to board and seize an Israeli-owned ship and its crew.
They have threatened to attack any vessel they
