US-UK Vessels and Israeli Port Targeted By Houthis In The Latest Attacks

The Yemeni Houthis have declared that they have “banned” the vessels associated with Israel, the US, and the UK from sailing in the surrounding waters, as the rebels are seeking to reinforce the military campaign, which they say is in support of the Palestinians based in Gaza. The Houthi Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center sent formal notices of the ban to shipping insurers and companies that are operational in the region on Thursday; Reuters quoted a statement saying,

The Houthi communication, the first ever to the more significant shipping industry outlining a formalized ban in the Gulf of Aden, the Red and Arabian Seas, came as two notices, per Reuters. It impacts the vessels partially or wholly owned by Israeli, British, and American individuals/entities and those sailing under those countries’ flags.

The warning came through amid ongoing Houthi attacks that have reportedly disrupted global trade on the shortest shipping channel between Asia and Europe and counterattacks by the US as well as British forces, hoping to deter rebels. The Iran-backed Houthis have kept launching repeated attacks on vessels in the zone since November 2023.

They said that these attacks were a response to the ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza, which have already taken the lives of nearly 30,000 individuals in four months. They have also promised to continue the campaign in solidarity with the Palestinians until Israel decides to end the war.

On Thursday, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, the Houthi leader, said that the group had reportedly introduced some submarine weapons in the attacks. Operations in the waters of the Arabian and Red Seas, the Gulf of Aden, and Bab al-Mandab Strait are ongoing, escalating, and practical, he mentioned in his televised speech.

The Houthis took complete control of Sanaa (the capital) and a significant portion of northern Yemen back in 2014. A Saudi Arabian-headed coalition militarily backed the Yemen government in the conflict. Still, the Houthis have continued maintaining their firm control and have grown in strength and military capabilities.

These Houthi attacks have significantly impacted international commerce along a crucial route, which accounts for about 15% of the shipping traffic in the world. Several shipping firms have redirected the vessels around Africa’s southern tip, delaying the delivery times and adding 3,000 to 3,500 nautical miles to the route.

In response to these attacks, the US as well as British forces started to launch air raids on Yemen in January 2024. The US re-designated Houthis as a “terrorist” association. But attacks have reflected little signs of abating. On Thursday, the US military’s Central Command (abbreviated the CENTCOM) said that it conducted four self-defence raids against Houthis, impairing seven anti-ship cruise missiles besides a mobile ballistic missile launcher as well as a drone that it mentioned had originated from the zones of Houthi-controlled Yemen.

CENTCOM said that a person was injured after two Houthi missiles struck a British cargo vessel in the waters of the Red Sea and further added that the US had shot down six drones of the Houthis in the waters of the Red Sea recognized as imminent risks to the US as well as allied war vessels.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the French Navy knocked down two drones in the Red Sea. The Navy has two frigates stationed nearby. It stated that it destroyed two drones upon spotting a threat between Wednesday and Thursday. It brought down two more drones over Monday and Tuesday night. To defend Red Sea trade from the Houthis, the EU officially began a naval intervention on Monday.

Reference: Aljazeera

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Source: Maritime Shipping News