U.S.-UK Airstrikes Fail to Stop Houthi Attacks on Shipping Lanes off Yemen
Created by BBC
The Ansar Allah (Houthi) attacks keep hitting ships in the Red Sea as the U.S.-UK airstrikes have failed to stop the Houthi threats to shipping lanes off Yemen.
After over three weeks of U.S.-UK strikes on Houthi sites, the Iran-backed Yemeni group keeps launching attacks on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Today, the Houthi group claimed responsibility for launching two assaults against U.S. and British vessels in the Red Sea. Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, said in a statement, "We carried out two military operations in the Red Sea, the first targeting an American ship (Star Nasia) and the other targeting a British vessel (Morning Tide). Both ships were targeted with appropriate naval missiles, and the hits were accurate and direct."
These operations are a response to the U.S.-UK airstrikes on Yemen and in solidarity with Gaza, which Israel has been bombing since October last year. Houthi officials say
The Houthis continue to be undeterred by the hundreds of U.S.-UK air raids, vowing that they will not stop their attacks. Saree said, "We will carry out more attacks against all hostile American and British targets in the Red and Arabian Sea."
According to Houthi officials, the U.S. and U.K. have launched over 300 airstrikes on multiple provinces in North Yemen since January 12. However, the group says such airstrikes cannot ruin their military power, and these air raids will not be unanswered.
The group is still defiant and prepared for a long war. Military sources told Sheba Intelligence, "The group is studying options with the Iranian advisors present in Yemen while continuing to escalate and prepare for an asymmetric war in the Red Sea and the Yemeni coasts."
According to the sources, the Houthis are expecting an attack by the American and British naval forces on the ports of Al-Salif and Al-Hudaydah and other Yemeni islands, such as Kamaran Island, which is under the Houthi control.
The sources revealed that the Houthi group strengthened its stocks of ballistic and winged missiles, drones, naval mines, and remote-controlled suicide boats to confront potential developments that they expect to occur in the coming days.
The continuation of Houthi assaults on shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden will invite more U.S.-UK airstrikes, and this risks expanding the conflict.
