Rebel drone and missile attacks, the latest of which targeted two ships on Monday, threaten to disrupt global trade flows and major shipping companies have suspended traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
“Even if America succeeds in mobilizing the whole world, our military operations will not stop (…) no matter how many casualties it costs us,” Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, an official at the Houthi political bureau, said on the X social network.
Rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam said “the coalition formed by the US seeks to protect Israel and militarize the sea”, adding that “anyone who seeks to expand the conflict must bear the consequences of these actions”.
Announced a coalition of ten countries to quell Houthi attacks
The two officials spoke after Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin announced Monday a 10-nation coalition aimed at countering missile and drone attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The coalition was joined by the United Kingdom, France and Italy, among others.
L. Austin emphasized that this security coalition will aim to ensure freedom of navigation for all countries and increase the security and prosperity of the Middle East region.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have stepped up attacks on tankers, cargo ships and other vessels in the Red Sea as they seek to pressure Israel during its two-month war with Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, they said the attacks had been carried out on the Norwegian ship Swan Atlantic and another ship traveling through the vital waterway between Asia and Europe.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Swan Atlantic “was attacked by a single attack drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.”
He said the guided-missile destroyer USS Carney “responded to assess the damage.”
Around the same time, “the bulk carrier MV Clara reported an explosion in the water near its location,” CENTCOM said.
It is reported that no one was injured in these attacks.
Austin on Tuesday condemned the unprecedented attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on foreign ships in the Red Sea, saying they threatened global trade flows.
“Secretary Austin condemned the Houthi attacks on international shipping and global commerce as unprecedented and unacceptable, noting that these attacks threaten the free flow of commerce,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said.
“hard to take over”
As insurance costs skyrocketed, major shipping companies decided to divert their ships around the southern Cape of Africa.
The Danish shipping company AP Moller-Maersk, which owns 15 percent of of the world’s container cargo, and which is one of the shipping giants, has stopped sailing through the important Red Sea strait.
A statement issued on Tuesday said that “all ships that were previously stopped and were supposed to pass through the region will now be diverted around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope”.
As of Monday, Maersk had about 20 ships suspended in transit, half of which were still waiting.
Analysts say the security coalition can do little to stop attacks by the Houthi rebels, who have an arsenal of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.
“The Houthis have a large arsenal of different drones and missiles that they can launch (…) and some of them will be difficult for the average military fleet to intercept,” King’s College London professor Andreas Krieg told AFP.
Torbjorn Soltvedt, a spokesman for risk assessment firm Verisk Maplecroft, said that “the threat to shipping is also increased by the group’s ability to deploy anti-ship mines and conduct coordinated operations using boats and helicopters.”
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2024-07-31 05:01:11
