Who are the Houthis and why did the US and UK retaliate for their attacks on ships in the Red Sea?

By TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — When the U.S. and U.K. warships launched waves of air, ship and submarine launched missiles at Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen Thursday it was the culmination of weeks of warnings to the militant group to cease their destructive attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Even after issuing a final warning last week that was signed by the U.S. and a dozen other countries, the Houthis launched their largest-ever barrage of 19 one-way attack drones, anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile. Previously the U.S. had withheld striking back, reflecting larger U.S. concerns about upending the shaky truce in Yemen and triggering a wider conflict in the region.