Houthi Red Sea Attacks Are Boon for Pirates as Ships Reroute

Since November, Yemen's Houthi rebels have repeatedly attacked cargo ships passing through the strait of Bab al-Mandab that splits north-east Africa from Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula. The Iran-backed rebels have been targeting vessels with connections to Israel and Western countries, forcing dozens of shipping companies to take a 4,000-mile detour around the continent of Africa at significantly higher costs and extra shipping days. Unfortunately, resurging attacks coming from notorious piracy hotspots have shipping companies worried about the…