- Yemen targets Red Sea
- Houthi attacks prompt concerns
- Global commerce affected
The United States reports that two cargo ships in the Red Sea were targeted by missiles launched from Yemeni territory.
Both were hit by rockets and drones from the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.
While the Houthis would not confirm the drone strike, they said they fired missiles at the second and third vessels.
This marks the most recent assault on foreign vessels in the region since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Houthis have supported Hamas and threatened Israeli warships since taking power nine years ago.
The vessels encountered hostilities in the Bab El Mandab, an exceptionally restricted waterway critical for international commerce.
A US defense official told AFP news agency on Friday about the alleged drone attack, “We are aware that something launched from a Houthi-controlled region of Yemen struck this vessel, which was damaged, and there were reports of a fire.
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The German transport company Hapag-Lloyd owns the Liberian container ship Al Jasrah.
A Hapag-Lloyd spokesman informed AFP that the vessel was en route from the Greek port of Piraeus to Singapore. He continued, “There were no casualties, and the vessel is currently making its way to its intended location.”
The second vessel struck
Houthis denied attacking Al Jasrah but said their rockets hit MSC Alanya and MSC Palatium.
A US defense official, providing their account of a missile strike on an unnamed vessel, stated that the impact ignited a fire. A US Navy destroyer was en route to extinguish it.
While Israel compels the United States to respond to these attacks, it is apprehensive about targeting the Houthi missile sites for concern that doing so could escalate the Israel-Hamas conflict or provoke Iranian retaliation.
Conversely, a multinational naval coalition coalescing to safeguard shipping and engage in the engagement of approaching missiles and drones is the more probable outcome.
While on a trip to the Middle East, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan described the Houthis as a “material threat” to regional shipping and commerce.
He stated that Iran was ultimately liable for the attacks and added, “In other words, Iran is providing the Houthis with the weapon while they, so to speak, pull the trigger.”
As I said, these attacks threaten international law, peace, and security, so Iran must cease them.
Friday saw more occurrences, including the confiscation of another sailboat.
According to a report received by the Maritime Trade Operations Agency of the United Kingdom, a ship’s crew further east in the Arabian Sea lost control of the vessel, and it was now en route to Somalia.
“At this time, all crew members are deemed safe,” the UKMTO stated.
The most recent assaults in the southern Red Sea follow a succession of earlier ones, which have caused an increase in insurance premiums and may force some vessels to circumnavigate the Red Sea entirely by circumnavigating the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
Al-Qaeda, opposed to the Saudi-backed government of Yemen, has proclaimed itself a member of an “axis of resistance” comprised of Iran-aligned organizations that oppose Israel, the United States, and the broader Western community.
They have struck multiple commercial vessels this month, requiring the intervention of a United States destroyer. Furthermore, they effectively hijacked a cargo ship in November.
Multiple missiles have been fired into the stratosphere by US, French, and British naval patrols in the Red Sea.
Yemen is separated from Eritrea and Djibouti by the 20-mile Bab El Mandeb Strait.
It is traversed annually by 10% of global commerce and approximately 17,000 vessels. Any vessel crossing the Suez Canal en route to or from the Indian Ocean must follow this route.
