A new day of tension around the Gulf of Aden after the US attack on the Houthis and Yemeni rebels’ response to the ship

The sequence of events becomes predictable. The Houthis claimed responsibility early Friday, January 19, aboard an American ship cruising in the Gulf of Aden, near the Red Sea, hours after Washington bombed these Yemeni rebel sites on their territory.

“Navy of the Armed Forces of Yemen (the name given to the armed wing of the Houthis) Conducted targeted operations against American ships

Why RangerWith several anti-ship missiles in the Gulf of Aden, many of which hit their targets »They announced in a press release. “A response to American and British attacks is inevitable, any further aggression will be punished”Yemeni rebels warned that they only target ships bound for Israel “Until there is a ceasefire and the lifting of the siege on Gaza”.

According to exclusive site Marine Traffic, the Why Ranger An oil tanker flying the flag of the Marshall Islands – a state of Micronesia, in Oceania – has been off the coast of Yemen in recent days.

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America has confirmed this attack. The crew of Why Ranger “Missiles seen hitting water near ship” And “No reports of injuries or damage”ship containing “continued on his way”, Wrote on US Military Command in the Middle East (CENTCOM)..

For its part, the British Maritime Safety Agency reported an incident involving an explosion 30 meters from a ship 115 nautical miles southeast of the Yemeni city of Aden. The British agency also reported four unidentified drones flying around a merchant ship in the east.

Moscow has called on Washington to stop its “aggression” against Yemen

For its part, the United States struck Houthi sites in Yemen for the fifth time in response to attacks by the Iran-backed group against merchant ships in the Red Sea, a crucial area for international commerce. The American bombing was the second in less than twenty-four hours on missiles from the Houthis, a group put back on its list by Washington on Wednesday.“Terrorist Organizations”.

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According to CENTCOM, the United States destroyed Thursday afternoon “Two Anti-Ship Missiles Against the Red Sea”. “We believe they were prepared for an imminent launch into the Red Sea.”, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby explained. Sabrina Singh, a deputy spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence, said the bombings, which began late last week and are sometimes carried out with the United Kingdom, could be. “Destroy a significant part of the capabilities” Yemeni rebels.

attacks, which the Houthis say they are carrying out “unity” With the population of this Palestinian territory under the control of their Hamas allies and ravaged by war, many ship owners have been forced to suspend their fleet in the Red Sea to redirect it around Africa via the Cape of Bone. Hopefully, that increases time and shipping costs.

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The Houthis announced that they would protect the passage of Chinese and Russian ships

US President Joe Biden said this week that the strikes will continue until the Houthis disrupt Yemen’s international maritime trade. Dozens of merchant ships have been attacked by this Iranian-backed group “Connected to Israel”

Since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in the Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden.

In Moscow, however, the Russian foreign minister called on the United States to stop it “Attack” against Yemen. “The more American and British bombs, the less the Houthis will want to talk”Sergey Lavrov said.

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“The madness and stupidity of the United States and the United Kingdom have worked against them: henceforth none of their ships will be able to cross one of the world’s major trade routes”Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthis’ political leadership, added in an interview with the Russian daily. Izvestia.

“The loss for the aggressor countries is greater than the loss for Yemen”He explained. “For other countries, including China and Russia, their maritime transport in the region is not at risk. Furthermore, we are also ready to ensure the safe passage of their ships through the Red Sea.”The Houthi official added. “But Israeli ships, or those with even the slightest connection to Israel, will not have the slightest chance of crossing the Red Sea”He underlined this authority and added: “Our goal is to increase the economic costs for the Jewish state to stop the carnage in Gaza”.

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Denmark joins the coalition

In the face of these attacks, the United States established a coalition to patrol Yemen’s coast and secure maritime traffic. Not all countries in the coalition are participating in the strike, but Denmark, home to the number two global shipping company, Maersk, announced on Thursday that it would join.

France has decided not to participate “To avoid any increase” in the region, according to its president Emmanuel Macron. Because these attacks on the ships and the American strikes in response risk flaring up in the Middle East, the war in Gaza is already affecting Lebanon and the north of Israel, where clashes are an almost daily occurrence. -Iranian Hezbollah and the Israeli army.

The Houthis have occupied large parts of Yemen since 2014 and captured the capital Sana’a, where they ousted the government, which had taken refuge in the southern part of the country. In 2015, a Saudi-led military coalition intervened to support the Yemeni army and government.

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The world with AFP