A recent investigation by the Swiss organization InPact has uncovered that the Houthi group, classified as a terrorist organization by international bodies, is coordinating maritime attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Gulf of Aden through a newly established humanitarian operations center.

The investigation highlights that the operations targeting shipping lanes off the Yemeni coast are managed by the “Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center” (HOCC), according to a report received by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Established in February 2024 via a decree from Mahdi Al-Mashat, the head of the Houthi-controlled “Supreme Political Council,” the center was purportedly created to facilitate internal and external coordination with various governmental and non-governmental entities and international organizations.

InPact’s investigation confirmed that the center is led by Ahmed Hamid, a prominent figure among the Houthis, who was identified in a 2021 United Nations expert report as “possibly the most powerful non-Houthi civilian leader” within the group.

The investigation details the center’s operational methods, noting that it controls which shipping companies are permitted to transit the waters off Yemen, particularly the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and likely participates in selecting targets for attacks.

The report describes the center as institutionalizing the Houthi’s maritime guerrilla warfare, providing vessels with direct communication with the organization, including radio equipment, phone numbers, and email addresses.

InPact also published an email sent by the Houthis in March to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which is responsible for maritime safety. This communication prohibited ships from four categories of shipping companies: those from Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom, as well as vessels heading to Israeli ports.

The center requested that the IMO inform shipping owners, operators, and insurance companies of this ban. An international shipping company confirmed to AFP that it had received several messages from the Houthis, some dating back approximately eight months, warning against the passage of vessels near Yemen under the threat of attack.

Since November 2023, the Iranian-backed Houthi group has launched missile and drone strikes against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea. In response, U.S. and British forces have conducted strikes on Houthi positions since January 12, with the U.S. military periodically targeting missiles and drones allegedly prepared for launch.