Abhijay Raj Vaish, Pune
Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacked three vessels in the Mediterranean Red seas on Monday in response to the air strikes by Israel on the Southern Gaza strip on July 13. Yahya Saree, Houthi Military Spokesperson, referred to this attack in response to the strike on Khan Younis which killed at least 90 Palestinians and wounded around 300.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported the attack by three small vessels in the Mediterranean sea off the port of Hodeidah targeting two ships with drones and ballistic missiles. The ships were allegedly targeted due to their owners’ use of the Israeli ports.
Two of the attacked ships were housing three people each on board while one of the ships in the fleet was unmanned. One of the attacker’s ships was booby trapped that collided with the unmanned vessel while the other two fired for about 15 minutes. The UKMTO have stated that the crew is safe while the ships have been slightly damaged.
Several such attacks have happened along the Suez Canal route where the Houthis have succeeded in sinking two ships while capturing another. Three sailors have lost their lives due to the attacks and it has also caused the disruption of the trade route. Both the United States and the British naval forces have mitigated the threats with retaliations to protect the waterway which serves as a major route for facilitating global trade.
The Houthis have referred their attacks against Israel, United States and Britain in solidarity with the militant group Hamas. They had also alleged the launch of missiles on a U.S. flagged container ship in the Gulf of Aden last week.
The U.S. is replacing USS Dwight D Eisenhower which was used to counter the Houthis in the Middle East with USS Theodore Roosevelt. This is in response to the recent attacks by the rebels which have become more effective damaging the vessel’s vulnerable waterline.
The Houthis have also alleged to be a part in the Iraqi Islamic Resistance in the Mediterranean sea. An approximate of 65 countries have been affected by these attacks of the rebels in terms of shipping and energy transport.