Who are the Houthis and why are the rebels in Yemen attacking Red Sea shipping?

• Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have been launching attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
• The rebels said the missile and drone assaults are in protest to Israel's bombings in Gaza.
• The Houthis are not new to the scene: they're on one side of Yemen's decade-long civil war.

For weeks, shipping vessels around the Red Sea have been harassed by Yemeni militants called the Houthis, disrupting one of the world's most important trade routes.

A military coalition led by the US has blasted down drone and missile attacks from the Iran-backed rebels.