The Houthis continue to inflame the situation in the Red Sea
The Houthis, supported by Iran, continued to inflame the situation against cargo ships in the Red Sea. On Tuesday, the group targeted a Greek ship with a missile, the day after it bombed an American ship in the Gulf of Aden with another missile, despite American and British warnings and threats.
While the escalation threatens to expand the scope of the conflict, affect international trade, and worsen the humanitarian conditions in Yemen, in addition to fears of the collapse of the United Nations-led peace efforts, American forces announced, on Tuesday, the interception of an advanced Iranian weapons shipment that was on its way to the Houthis.
Iran is accused of smuggling advanced weapons to the Houthis as well as training in their use (US Army)
The legitimate Yemeni government says: The security of navigation depends on its restoration of institutions and ending the Iranian-backed Houthi coup, while the group claims that the navigation route is safe for all ships except those heading to and from Israel, regardless of their nationality.
The British maritime security company Ambrey said in a memorandum on Tuesday that a cargo tanker flying the Maltese flag and owned by Greece was targeted by a missile while crossing north in the Red Sea, 76 nautical miles northwest of the coastal city of Saleef in Yemen.
The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, but they vowed to continue the attacks following the American and British strikes their sites received last Friday and Saturday.
For its part, the British Maritime Trade Operations Authority reported that it had received a report of a targeting incident 100 nautical miles northwest of Salif, where the company’s security official reported that the ship had been hit by an unknown object in the cargo hold, and that the authorities were investigating. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and to report any suspicious activity.
The Houthi attacks led to the militarization of the Red Sea and threatened the lives of fishermen (AFP)
In a previous report, on Tuesday, the authority said that it had received a report about a small boat sailing around a ship in the Red Sea, about 57 nautical miles northwest of the Eritrean city of Assab.
She added that the ship and its crew were fine, and that it was sailing toward its next destination after the security personnel on board fired “warning shots and the small boat left.” She said that the authorities are investigating the incident.
In addition, Reuters quoted a security company and two sources in the Greek Ministry of Shipping as saying that an empty cargo tanker flying the Maltese flag was targeted by a missile while it was crossing north in the Red Sea, 76 nautical miles northwest of the Yemeni coastal city of Al-Salif.
One Greek source said that the Greek-owned ship Geographia was sailing from Vietnam to Israel with a crew of 24 on board, and was empty of cargo when it was attacked. “There were no casualties…only material damage.”
The Houthi attacks targeting cargo ships have reached about 29 attacks since November 19, including pirating the Galaxy Leader ship, detaining its crew, and turning it into a shrine for the group’s followers.
Advanced weapons shipment
US Central Command announced in a statement, Tuesday, that on January 11, 2024, US Central Command naval forces overnight seized a dhow illegally transporting advanced lethal aid from Iran to resupply Houthi forces in Yemen as part of an ongoing campaign of attacks that… The Houthis launch it against international commercial shipping.
The statement added that US Navy forces operating aboard the USS Lewis B. Puller ESB 3, supported by helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, carried out a complex boarding operation of the dhow near the coast of Somalia in the international waters of the Arabian Sea, and seized weapons. Iranian-made, including components of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
Components of Iranian missiles intercepted by the US Navy that were on their way to the Houthis (US Army)
The seized items – according to the statement – include propulsion and guidance devices and warheads for medium-range Houthi ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles, in addition to components related to air defense.
Preliminary analysis – according to the US statement – indicates that the Houthis used these same weapons to threaten and attack international commercial ships crossing the Red Sea.
USCENTCOM Seizes Iranian Advanced Conventional Weapons Bound for HouthisOn 11 January 2024, while conducting a flag verification, U.S. CENTCOM Navy forces conducted a night-time seizure of a dhow conducting illegal transport of advanced lethal aid from Iran to resupply Houthi… pic.twitter.com/yg4PuTZBh7
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 16, 2024
The US Central Command confirmed that this is the first confiscation of advanced lethal conventional weapons that Iran has supplied to the Houthis since the beginning of their attacks on commercial ships last November. It is also the first seizure of advanced Iranian-made ballistic missile and cruise missile components by the US Navy since November 2019.
The statement stressed that the supply, sale, or transfer of weapons directly or indirectly to the Houthis in Yemen violates United Nations Security Resolution No. 2216 and international law.
He explained that two US Marines had previously been reported missing at sea, and they participated directly in this operation. General Michael Eric Kurella, commander of US Central Command, said: “We are conducting a comprehensive search for our two missing colleagues.”
The US Central Command confirmed that it considered the sailboat unsafe and that the forces sank it, and that the disposition of the boat’s 14 crew members was being determined in accordance with international law.
The statement accused Iran of continuing to ship advanced lethal aid to the Houthis. This is another example of how Iran is sowing instability across the region in direct violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and international law, General Michael Eric Kurella said.
Eric Kurella pledged that US forces will continue to work with regional and international partners to detect and intercept these efforts. Ultimately, freedom of navigation was restored.
Houthi belittlement and Iranian encouragement
Amid this escalation, the Houthis are evading the consequences of their attacks and downplaying the risks, while Iran, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, continues to encourage them to continue the attacks.
The spokesman for the Houthi group, Muhammad Abdel Salam, claimed on Tuesday that what a number of shipping companies announced suspending their work under the pretext of high risks in the Red Sea is the result of American pressure and intimidation and an inaccurate position, and is only in line with tendentious American propaganda. According to his claim.
The Houthis took advantage of the Israeli war on Gaza to mobilize more fighters (Reuters)
The Houthi spokesman added in a tweet on the “X” platform that there are hundreds of ships crossing the Bab al-Mandab Strait on a daily basis, and that there is no ban on any ship except those linked to Israel or those heading to its ports.
The Houthi attacks received Iranian encouragement at the highest level of the leadership hierarchy in Tehran. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei praised the campaign of attacks launched by the Houthis, and the IRNA news agency quoted Khamenei on Tuesday as saying: “The Yemeni nation and Ansar Allah (the Houthis) have indeed done a great job.” He stressed that what they did was evidence of “fighting for the sake of God.” He hopes that “these efforts will lead to victory.”
In addition to the attacks against ships, the leaders of the Houthi group threatened to target American interests in the Red Sea in retaliation for the strikes that led to the killing of 15 Houthi militants and the wounding of six others since last December 31.
On Monday, the pro-Iranian group said in a statement that it continues “to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to occupied Palestinian ports; Until the aggression and siege on Gaza stops.”
The Yemeni Presidential Council pledges the security of navigation to restoring state institutions from the grip of the Houthis (Saba)
In contrast, in its latest statements, the Yemeni Governing Council renewed its warning “the Houthi militias against the consequences of continuing to exploit the oppression of the Palestinian people in order to achieve Iran’s interests and its expansionist projects in the region, and to divert the world’s attention away from the Israeli occupation’s attacks and grave violations.”
A meeting chaired by the Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council stressed “the need for the international community to support the Yemeni government in order to extend its control over the entire Yemeni territory, and to immediately begin classifying the Houthi militia as a terrorist group and force it to seriously engage in efforts to calm the situation and establish security, stability and peace.”
The Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea had a negative impact on the situation regionally and in Yemen, with shipping companies reluctance to pass through the Suez Canal and the cost of shipping tripling to reach Yemeni ports. This will increase the suffering of the population, about 18 million of whom live on international humanitarian aid.
The Houthis claim that they support the Palestinians, and the Yemeni government says that they are implementing Iran’s agenda (Reuters)
Reuters quoted sources in the insurance sector on Tuesday that insurance premiums against war risks for shipments through the Red Sea are rising after other attacks on commercial ships carried out by the Houthi group.
The London insurance market listed the southern Red Sea – according to the agency – among the high-risk areas, even before the recent Houthi attacks, and said: Ships must notify their insurance companies when sailing through these areas and pay an additional premium.
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2024-01-17 18:03:33
