The US military has launched a new strike against Yemen’s Houthi rebels following an attack on a British oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden.
American forces attacked a Houthi rebel site in Yemen early this Saturday, January 27, after an attack on a British oil tanker “set it on fire” in the Gulf of Aden, a new episode in their campaign targeting international maritime traffic. In “solidarity” with Gaza.
“At approximately 3:45 local time (00:45 GMT), the US Middle East Military Command (CENTCOM) attacked a Houthi anti-ship missile that was preparing to launch into the Red Sea,” he announced. at X, specifying that the missile poses an “imminent threat” to American destroyers and merchant ships in the region.
Rebels close to Iran, which have been increasing attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, indicated on Friday evening that they had fired “missiles” against the “British oil tanker, Marlin Luanda,” specifying that the ship, “hit the head.” , caught fire.”
Yahya Saari, the rebels’ military spokesman, added in his statement that the attack was carried out in support of the Palestinian people and “in response to the British and American aggression against our country.”
Numerous missile and drone attacks by the Houthis
Private maritime risk firm Embrey previously reported that a merchant ship had collided in the same area, catching fire on board, although it was not clear at this stage whether it was the same incident.
“A merchant ship was hit by a ‘missile’, which caused a fire,” Embrey said, adding that the crew was “safe and sound” so far.
Shortly before the attack on Friday, the United States destroyed an anti-ship ballistic missile fired from “areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis” that was targeting an American warship, the Arle-Burke class destroyer.
Since November, Houthi rebels have fired numerous missiles and drones off Yemen’s coast, saying they were targeting ships linked to Israel in “solidarity” with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, after a bloody offensive by the Israeli army that has bombed and besieged the region. On October 7, the Islamist movement Hamas.
Western sanctions
In response, US forces, sometimes jointly with the UK, have carried out a series of strikes in an attempt to prevent the Houthis from continuing to attack merchant ships, so far without success. The Americans specifically target missile and drone launch sites.
On Thursday, Washington and London announced sanctions against four senior Houthi officials, accused of being involved in planning the attacks.
After nearly a decade of war against the government, the Houthis control large parts of Yemen, causing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The tension has forced some ship owners to suspend transit through the Red Sea, which normally sees up to 12% of world trade and bypasses Africa to reach Asia and Europe.
The impact on maritime traffic and global trade is already being felt. According to the UN, the volume of trade passing through the Suez Canal, a critical route that connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, has fallen by 42% in the past two months.
Barriers to trade in the Red Sea are more worrying because “more than 80%” of global trade in goods takes place by sea and “other important routes are already under stress”, underlined UNCTAD, the UN’s responsible body. For trade and development.
On Thursday, a Houthi delegation visited Moscow to discuss “the need to intensify efforts to put pressure” on the United States and Israel to end the war in Gaza and “deliver humanitarian aid instead of militarizing the Red Sea,” according to Mohammed, a rebel spokesman. Abdeslam.
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