2024-01-03 09:07:19
Yemeni Houthi rebels fired two missiles on the evening of Tuesday January 2 towards merchant ships circulating in the Red Sea, near the strategic Bab Al-Mandab strait, the American army confirmed after initial information from the maritime security agency British (UKMTO).
Initially, the UKMTO reported explosions near a commercial ship traveling in the south of the Red Sea, between the coasts of Eritrea and Yemen, specifying that there was no had suffered no damage and the crew was ” except “.
In the process, the US military command in the Middle East (Centcom) declared that the Houthi rebels had fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles in an area of the southern Red Sea where many commercial ships were located. “without causing damage”.
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This is the twenty-fourth incident of its kind since mid-November, Centcom said on the eve of a meeting on Wednesday of the United Nations Security Council on peacekeeping and which must, according to the French diplomacy, address the issue of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
Sea freight disrupted
In recent weeks, in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas, Houthi rebels have increased attacks in the Red Sea and in the Bab Al-Mandab Strait through which 12% of world trade goods pass, according to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).
The Houthis, backed by Iran and the Palestinian Hamas, said they would, in solidarity with Gaza, target ships sailing in the Red Sea with links to Israel. Several missiles and drones were shot down by American, French and British warships patrolling the area.
According to the Pentagon, the Houthis, who control entire swaths of Yemeni territory, including the capital, Sanaa, have launched dozens of drone and missile attacks on around ten merchant ships involving more than thirty-five countries. These attacks, threatening to disrupt global trade flows, have also pushed the United States to set up a multinational maritime protection force in the Red Sea.
On Sunday, the American army announced that it had sunk three Houthi ships, after attacks on a container ship of the Danish carrier Maersk. Ten rebels were killed in this strike, according to a spokesperson for the movement.
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