Yemen’s Houthis Consider Launching an Attack on a Military Base in Eritrea

Advisors from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and senior Ansar Allah (Houthi) military leaders agreed in a meeting in Sanaa to launch missile attacks against military bases that supply international forces in the Red Sea with logistical support, informed sources said today.

The sources said that the meeting, which was held in Faj Attan in Sanaa, was attended by the Houthi Minister of Defense, Major General Muhammad al-Atifi, the Chief of Staff of the Houthi group’s forces, Muhammad al-Ghamari, the director of procurement for the Houthi forces, and Muhammad al-Talbi, a senior Houthi leader.

According to the sources, the meeting agreed to direct the first strike on a military base in Eritrea, which is described as the main warehouse from which American and British forces are supplied with weapons in the Red Sea battle against the Houthis.

The U.S. and the U.K. began striking Houthi sites in Yemen on January 12. The two countries have launched dozens of airstrikes in a bid to degrade the Houthi military capabilities.

The sources also pointed out another meeting in Sanaa was held between advisors in the Revolutionary Guard, including a person named Ali Najati, and military leaders in the Houthi group. The meeting reviewed the mechanism for announcing the Houthi group’s possession of new quality missiles with greater range, speed, and explosive capacity.

On the ground, sources confirmed that the Houthis continued to transfer ballistic missiles from their depots in Harf Sufyan in Amran province to Al-Jawf and Saada.

It is expected that the Houthi group will escalate its attacks on some internal fronts, besides its continued assaults on shipping lanes in the Red Sea.

Yahya Saree, the Houthi group’s military spokesman, said in a video address late on Wednesday that the Houthis hit the Maersk Yorktown cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden.

The US military confirmed that the Houthis launched an antiship ballistic missile towards the vessel, which it identified as a “US-flagged, owned, and operated vessel with 18 US and four Greek crew members”.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement, “There were no injuries or damage reported by US, coalition, or commercial ships.”

Houthis say their operations in the Red Sea are part of their support to Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has killed over 34000 people since October last year.