The Red Sea Battle Between U.S. Forces and Yemen’s Houthis Expands to the Gulf of Aden
An attack by Yemen’s Ansar Allah (Houthi) group on an American commercial ship east of Aden on Monday is a dangerous development as it has expanded the battle between the Houthis and the US-led multinational forces from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Preliminary information obtained by Sheba Intelligence indicates that the missile that hit the ship was launched from Mukayras district in Al-Bayda province. The firing of the missile was preceded by the launch of drones from launchers in the Radaa area in Al-Bayda. The missile traveled an air distance of roughly 230 kilometers, and it appears the drones contributed to determining the coordinates of the missile accurately.
A military expert told Sheba Intelligence that the missile appears to have a range of about 300 km and seems to be an Iranian Ghadir missile, which the Houthis call the Mandab 2 missile.
The military expert added that this Houthi attack on the American commercial vessel has two messages: the first message is military and is directed to the American forces in the Gulf of Aden, and the second message is economic, meaning there is no safe port in Yemen for commercial ships, especially after the ships were diverted from the port of Al-Hudaydah to the port of Aden.
He indicated that the Houthi group likely obtains information about ships via satellite with the help of Iran or other countries because the Houthis’ maritime telecommunications system cannot reach the Arabian Sea unless they have systems in Aden close to the coast.
The U.S. Central Command said today, “On Jan. 15 at approximately 4 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship. The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey.”
Today, two Houthi missiles failed to keep flying as one of them fell in the Al-Mashqara area in the Al-Mudaraba District of Lahj province and the other in the Jahaf area in Al-Dhale province, according to informed sources.
On Friday, the U.S. and UK began launching airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen with the aim of degrading their military capabilities. Washington also issued on Friday sanctions targeting commodity shipments financing Iran's Quds Force and Yemen's Houthis. According to the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement, the revenue from the commodity sales supports the Houthis and their attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
