US and UK strikes fail to slow Houthi attacks

Repeated US and UK air strikes against the Houthis in Yemen have failed to slow their attacks on ships in the region, BBC Verify has found.

There have been nine attacks on ships in the past three weeks, compared with six in the previous three weeks. Since the US-led strikes began on 11 January, shipping using the vital Red Sea trade route has dropped by 29%. That’s a greater rate of decline than between the start of Houthi attacks in November and the beginning of the US-led action. The Houthis initially said they were attacking ships connected to Israel, or heading to or from there. But since air strikes began in January they have mostly targeted ships tied to owners or operators in the UK or US.