Houthi missiles target Red Sea ships , threaten US task force

• Houthis is suspected in drone and missile attacks on Red Sea ships.
• Attacks seen as supporting Gaza target a US-led task force.
• Shipping giants like Maersk divert routes due to Houthi threats.

The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, are thought to have launched drones and missiles on at least two commercial ships in Yemen on Tuesday. The militia’s leaders have promised to engage an international naval task force led by the United States in the Red Sea.

On Tuesday afternoon, a ship reported to the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations authority that missiles had been sighted and an explosion had been heard 60 nautical miles from Hodeida, Yemen’s Red Sea port.

Three hours earlier, the UKMTO had also released an alert stating that a vessel had seen drones about 50 nautical miles west of Hodeidah and, 15 minutes later, had reported two explosions.

As of late Tuesday, the Houthis had not yet acknowledged being responsible for the assaults.

In an attempt to persuade Israel to stop its attack on Gaza, the Yemeni militia has fired ballistic missiles and drones targeting commercial and naval ships in the Red Sea.

A few of the biggest shipping companies, like Maersk and MSC, were compelled to divert ships off the important commerce route due to Houthi threats to attack Israeli-linked boats.

In order to defend the vital maritime route against Houthi strikes, the US is in charge of a coalition of multinational task forces.

Simultaneously, the Houthis have reiterated their threat to attack any organization or US-led forces in the event that Yemen is attacked or if measures are made to prevent the militia from attacking ships that are headed toward Israel.

The defense minister for the Houthis, Mohammed Al-Ateifi, declared that his fighters are in “full combat readiness” to handle any military reaction from the US or other nations. He also promised to carry out more missile and drone strikes in the Red Sea to show support for the Gazan people.

“The ranges of our strategic deterrent weapons exceed what the enemies expect, and there are no red lines in front of us. All options are available,” the Houthi military leader told a meeting of commanders in Sanaa on Monday.

Yemeni fishermen in the Red Sea Khokha region of Yemen report that on Sunday, Somali pirates took over a vessel carrying 43 Yemeni fishermen thirty miles off the Somali coastline near Hafun.

The pirates took the captured boat and made their way to Somalia, where they set free 34 of the prisoners before taking off with the remaining nine and entering international waters.

A relative of one of the fishermen who was kidnapped claimed, “Those fishermen have a license from the Somali authorities to fish in Somali water.” The relative wished to remain nameless.

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