7 killed in strike in Yemen:40 reported injured; govt claims it attacked Houthi military camp

Seven people have been killed, and 40 people have been injured in a strike on a local market in Yemen on Sunday, news agency Reuters reported. Later on, the Yemeni government claimed that it had targeted a Houthi military camp and vehicles at the same junction. The same report also cited three military ​sources ​within ⁠the Yemeni government who claimed that ​Houthi militants had ​recently ⁠established a military camp near the market. Civil war began in Yemen in 2014 Houthi rebels in Yemen overthrew the Saudi-backed government in 2014. Subsequently, in 2015, the Saudi-led military alliance launched an offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis. Hundreds of people died in this war. Subsequently, 80% of Yemen’s population became dependent on humanitarian aid. The main reason for the civil war in Yemen was the Shia-Sunni conflict. In fact, the Shia community accounts for 35% of Yemen’s total population, while 65% are Sunni. According to a report by the Carnegie Middle East Center, there had always been conflict between the two communities, which turned into a civil war when the Arab Spring began in 2011. In no time, the rebels known as the Houthis captured a large part of the country. By 2015, the situation had escalated to the point where the rebels forced the entire government into exile. Iran and Saudi Arabia face off in Yemen Iran and Saudi Arabia are fighting a proxy war in Yemen, with both countries supporting opposing sides. Saudi Arabia backs the internationally recognised Yemeni government, while Iran supports the Houthis. The Houthi group controls a large part of Yemen. The Houthis also carried out repeated attacks on ships in the Red Sea in 2023 and 2024, disrupting maritime traffic. The impact of the latest attacks is being felt more strongly because the world is already dealing with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Why is the Red Sea so important to the world? The Red Sea is one of the world’s most important shipping routes. Saudi Arabia and Yemen are on one side, while Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia are on the other. Around 30% of global maritime trade passes through this route. There are only two main entry and exit points for the Red Sea: the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the east and the Suez Canal in the west. Any disruption to either route can have a major impact on global trade and oil supplies. Bab al-Mandeb is only around 29 km wide at its narrowest point. As a result, ships have only two main sea lanes for entering and leaving the waterway. Since the war and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has been sending most of its oil through this route. However, the influence of Iran-backed Houthi rebels has now increased in the area. In normal times, around 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz. With tensions rising in both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, around 25% of global energy supplies are now being affected in some way by the conflict. ​