The United States of America and the United Kingdom have developed a long-term plan to train and qualify naval forces affiliated with Yemen's UN-recognized government to assist it in controlling its territorial waters, informed sources told Sheba Intelligence today.
The sources said that the Yemeni naval forces that will be trained will be tasked with securing the Yemeni coasts and international trade routes in the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea.
The sources added that the members of these pro-government forces will be selected from all Yemeni provinces, and they will receive qualitative training in military bases outside the country.
According to the sources, Washington and London think that the attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi group on ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait will not stop even if the Israeli war on Gaza ceases.
Presently, the Houthis say their attacks on ships are in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
Political observers say that Iran will continue to use the Yemeni group that toppled the Yemeni government in September 2014 to achieve its geopolitical goals and expand its influence in the region.
Late yesterday, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, said his group attacked two American warships. He vowed that the attacks will continue as long as Israel doesn't stop its war on Gaza.
The Houthi attack involved bomb-carrying drones and one anti-ship ballistic missile, the US military’s Central Command said.
Meanwhile, US and British warplanes launched fresh airstrikes in Yemen’s coastal province of Al Hudaydah on Tuesday amid growing tensions in the Red Sea.
Houthi media reported five strikes hit Al-Jabanah and Ras Issa districts in the province.
On Saturday, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned cargo ship, Rubymar, sank in the Red Sea two weeks after hit by missiles fired by Houthis. It was the first vessel to have been sunk since the Houthi attacks started in November. The ship was near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea, when it was attacked.
Since January 12, US and UK airstrikes bombed several Houthi sites in Yemen to degrade the Houthi military capabilities. However, the Houthi attacks on ships have not stopped.