More Deaths, Airstrikes, and Missiles Attacks as Red Sea Battle Magnifies
U.S.-British airstrikes hit port cities and small towns in western Yemen on Monday, killing at least 11 people and injuring 14, a spokesperson for Yemen's UN-recognized government said today. This is the second time the U.S.-UK strikes have left casualties in Yemen.
Over the past 24 hours, the U.S. and U.K. forces launched a barrage of air raids on Houthi sites in Al-Hudaydah and Saada as part of their aerial campaign, which started on January 12.
Today, Houthi sources said five U.S.-UK airstrikes hit the Takhya area in Majaz district. Yesterday, the Houthi sources said "the American-British aggression" launched 12 raids on Al-Hudaydah province, explaining that three raids targeted locations in the Al-Jabbana area to the west of Al-Hudaydah city, two raids on the Taif of Al-Durayhimi district, three raids on Al-Arj area in Bajil District, and four raids on Ras Issa in Al-Salif district.
The Houthi group declared today they launched a missile attack against an American cargo ship in the Red Sea. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack early Tuesday in a statement, claiming the Pinocchio was an American ship.
However, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the Houthi missile attack targeted a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Red Sea, producing an explosion near the vessel but causing no damage, authorities said. The vessel's master reported the explosion and said no one was hurt. The UKMTO identified the vessel as the Pinocchio, managed by a Singaporean firm.
The Houthi group has vowed to step up their operations during Ramadan in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where over 30000 people have been killed by Israel since October last year.
On Sunday, Houthi leader Abdulmalek Al-Houthi said his operations in the Red Sea, pro-Palestine protests, and other activities will continue throughout the holy month.
A missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden on March 6 killed three of its crew members and forced survivors to abandon the vessel. It was the first fatal strike in a Houthi campaign of assaults that began in November.
Earlier this month, a cargo ship sunk in the Red Sea two weeks after being attacked by Houthis in the Gulf of Aden. The Iran-backed Yemeni pledged to sink more ships in response to the Israeli war on Gaza and the U.S.-UK strikes on Yemen.
As the Houthi attacks on shipping lanes keep intensifying, the U.S. and U.K. have augmented the presence of their military equipment in the Red Sea.
Today, Britain said it will deploy its HMS Diamond warship to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to take over from HMS Richmond in defending commercial shipping in the region.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement, "Britain continues to be at the forefront of the international response to the Houthis' dangerous attacks on commercial vessels, which have claimed the lives of international mariners."
