NewsTracker Answers for week of Dec. 18, 2023

Q: Houthi rebels in Yemen last week continued to attack vessels with drones and missiles in the vital shipping lanes of the Red Sea. Where is the Red Sea?

Circle the area on this map

Q: The rebels say the attacks are in support of Gaza Palestinians in the Israeli-Hamas war. Who armed Yemen’s Houthis with drones and missiles?

A. Hamas

B. Iran

C. Russia

D. Saudi Arabia

B. Iran backed and armed the Shia Muslim Houthis in their civil war against Yemen’s Sunni Muslim government, which Saudi Arabia backed. Sunni and Shia are the two main religious sects in Islam and have been rivals since the death of Prophet Muhammad in 632.

Q: The Houthi attacks led two major shipping companies to suspend operations in the Red Sea which carries much of the trade between Europe and Asia. The Red Sea connects the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean through the ...

A. Bosporus Strait

B. Caledonian Canal

C. Dardanelles Strait

D. Suez Canal

D. First opened in 1869, the 120-mile-long Suez Canal connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean drastically shortened the shipping routes between Europe and Asia and ignited a trading boom. The Houthi attacks have occurred near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the Indian Ocean end of the Red Sea.

Q: Was the Suez Canal through Egypt the first water route between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea?

A. Yes

B. No

C. Maybe

C. According to ancient Egyptian and Persian inscriptions and Greek historians, the Canal of the Pharaohs connected the Red Sea to the Nile River which empties into the Mediterranean.

Q: U.S., British, and French naval ships have shot down many drones and missiles fired at ships in the Red Sea. Which nation urged restraint in dealing with the Houthis?

A. Iran

B. Israel

C. Saudi Arabia

D. Yemen

C. Saudi Arabia reportedly asked the United States to show restraint in responding to the Houthi attacks to keep the Israeli-Hamas war from expanding into a wider regional conflict. Shipping is continuing in the Red Sea, but the cost of ship insurance has soared, raising the price of goods.