The US military has reported that Houthi forces, backed by Iran, have launched an attack on a grain cargo ship bound for Iran in the Red Sea after a six-day period of no attacks. This raises concerns about the group’s choice of targets.
The recent decrease in ship attacks, which the Houthis attribute to Israel, has sparked speculations that US and UK airstrikes against the group have effectively disabled their abilities, or that potential targets have been dissuaded from entering the Red Sea.
The Houthis claim to be standing in support of Palestinians in Gaza, but this has been disputed by Grant Shapps, the UK’s defense secretary, who has labeled the Houthis as “opportunistic pirates.”
The US central command (Centcom) said in a statement: “On February 12 from 3.30 to 3.45am Yemen time, Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired two missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Bab al-Mandeb.
Two rockets were fired at the MV Star Iris, a cargo ship owned by Greece and flagged by the Marshall Islands. The ship was traveling through the Red Sea with a load of corn from Brazil. The vessel reported that it was still in good condition with only minor damage and no harm to the crew. It should be noted that the MV Star Iris was heading to Bandar Iman Khomeini in Iran.
The Houthis attempted to label the Star Iris as an “American” ship, but did not provide any proof.
Iran supports the Houthis with both financial and logistical aid, while the US navy has allegedly stopped boats carrying weapons from Iran to the group.
Last week, during a televised speech, the Houthi leader, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, stated that Israeli ships were no longer entering the Red Sea. However, the US navy has reported that approximately 100 ships are still active in the area, and the Houthis may view some of these ships as potential targets. It is possible that the decrease in Houthi attacks may indicate a decrease in their capabilities, despite some ships now displaying identifications for Muslim crew members only.
The United States announced that it had targeted Houthi bases for four consecutive days, from Wednesday to Saturday. This marks one of the most intense periods of attacks on the group since the campaign began on January 11th.
The US’s ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, issued a warning last week that the US’s designation of the Houthis as a global terrorist group would take effect on February 16 unless the attacks cease. This designation is meant to hinder any funding from outside sources to the group.
One limitation for the Houthis is their concern that the ongoing attacks may result in the withdrawal of a potentially beneficial peace agreement to resolve the Yemeni civil war, which is being mediated by Saudi Arabia.
The current status of the Saudi peace agreement is being referred to as “frozen” by all parties involved. Some members of the UN-recognized government in Aden, which received support from Saudi Arabia during the conflict with the Houthis, are seeking to take advantage of this moment to revise the original terms of the deal.
The United Nations’ representative for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, is putting in great effort to maintain the agreement’s momentum. This week, Saudi Arabia contributed an additional $250 million to support the Aden government’s operations and cover salaries for individuals to purchase food.
It also emerged Djibouti, situated opposite Yemen across the Red Sea and a strong opponent of Israel’s attacks in Gaza, rejected a US plan to install missile launchers in the country to target Yemen. In a BBC interview, Djibouti’s prime minister, Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, said the US was allowed to deploy only the MIM-104 Patriot air defence system on its territory to protect American military installations in the country from Yemen.
The United States did not have the authority to utilize Djibouti as a military outpost for attacking Yemen. The foreign minister of Djibouti, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, stated that his country would not denounce the Houthi assaults in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab strait as they view them as a just response to the Palestinian situation.
A standard cargo vessel traveling to northern Europe, currently being diverted to go around the Cape of Good Hope rather than the Red Sea, is expected to incur an additional cost of $1 million in fuel expenses.
Source: theguardian.com
