The attack was carried out using two ballistic missiles, according to a Houthi announcement…reports Asian Lite News
Yemen’s internationally recognised government has expressed strong condemnation for the Houthi group’s assault on a commercial ship carrying 40,000 ton of grain intended for the war-ravaged Yemen.
In a statement released by the state-run Saba news agency, the government said on Wednesday that the ship named the Sea Champion was fired upon by Houthi forces on Monday while sailing from Argentina to the port of Aden in southern Yemen, Xinhua news agency reported.
The attack was carried out using two ballistic missiles, according to a Houthi announcement.
The government added that the ship was carrying a cargo of 40,000 ton of grain, of which 9,229 ton of corn were destined for Aden. The rest was to be unloaded at the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah.
The Sea Champion has delivered vital food aid to Yemen 11 times over the past five years since the outbreak of the country’s civil war, according to the government.
Yemen’s Information Minister Muammar Al-Eryani described the assault as “a dangerous escalation of Houthi attacks on commercial ships”.
He accused the Houthis of exacerbating Yemen’s humanitarian crisis and forcing innocent civilians to pay the price.
The Houthis have stepped up their attacks on international shipping since mid-November last year, saying they were in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza who faced Israeli attacks.
US Warplanes Launch Airstrikes Targeting Yemen’s Hodeidah Port City
US warplanes launched five airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, media reported.
The strikes hit in the area of Ras Issa in the district of al-Salif, northwest of the city, said the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV report on Wednesday, adding that there were no casualties.
Hodeidah’s residents said there were huge explosions in the Houthi-controlled military sea base in Ras Issa, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Houthis have been launching anti-ship missile attacks against international shipping vessels transiting the Red Sea since the past mid-November in what they said in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Many ships have been damaged, forcing several major shipping companies to change routes around Africa, which increased the prices of shipping and goods.
The US military, which has been hitting Houthi targets almost on a daily basis since January, has yet to comment on the alleged fresh strikes.
The armed Houthis have been controlling the strategic Hodeidah since the 2018 UN-sponsored Stockholm Agreement, which was backed by the US and Britain, forcing the internationally recognised government out.
The US CENTROM forces successfully conducted attacks against Houthi infrastructure and equipment between 1pm to 7.30 pm…reports Asian Lite News
The United States on Wednesday thwarted Houthi strikes against vessels in the Red Sea as it struck seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) in “self-defence” in the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
The US CENTROM forces successfully conducted attacks against Houthi infrastructure and equipment between 1pm to 7.30 pm (Sanaa time).
In the attack, the US military forces targeted seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM), three mobile unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and one explosive unmanned surface vessel (USV) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
“Feb. 14 Summary of Red Sea activities On Feb. 14, between the hours of 1p.m. – 7:30p.m.(Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces successfully conducted four self-defense strikes against seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM), three mobile unmanned aerial vehicles(UAV), and one explosive unmanned surface vessel(USV) in Houthi controlled areas of Yemen, that were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea,” CENTROM posted on X.
“CENTCOM identified these mobile missiles, UAVs, and USV in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined it presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region. These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels,” it added.
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have been targeting these ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November as Israel carried out a ground offensive against the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis have said that they will not stop attacking until Israel ends the hostilities in Gaza.
Earlier last week, the US carried out fresh ‘self-defence’ strikes against multiple Houthi missiles that presented an “imminent threat” to the US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that it conducted strikes against two mobile unmanned surface vessels (USV), four mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, and one mobile land attack cruise missile (LACM).
Earlier this month, the US and the UK launched air and surface strikes, which also included fighter jets, against Houthi sites in Yemen. (ANI)
The Houthis launched several missiles that hit the ship “directly and accurately…reports Asian Lite News
Yemen’s Houthi group has claimed responsibility for attacking a British ship in the Gulf of Aden with several missiles.
“We carried out a military operation against a British ship, Lycavitos, while it was sailing in the Gulf of Aden,” Yahya Sarea, the Houthi military spokesman, said in a statement aired by the group’s al-Masirah satellite TV channel on Thursday.
The Houthis launched several missiles that hit the ship “directly and accurately”, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Sarea.
The Barbados-flagged ship Lycavitos was sailing in the Indian Ocean to the east of Aden when it was hit by a missile strike, said a Yemeni government coast guard official who required anonymity.
Preliminary information indicated the vessel sustained minor damage from a fragment that struck the diesel generator’s pipe, causing a diesel leak, the official said. All crew members were unharmed in the incident.
Earlier in the day, the UK Maritime Operations Authority said it received a report of an explosion around 85 nautical miles east of Aden. The ship’s captain reported that the crew members were all safe as the ship headed toward its next port.
“We will continue to attack Israel-linked ships or those heading to Israeli ports in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege on the Palestinian people is lifted,” Sarea said in the statement.
“We are in the process of taking further military measures in response to the American-British aggression on our country and confirming our practical position to support the Palestinian people,” he added.
Meanwhile, the US and British forces on Thursday conducted new airstrikes on Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, the TV channel reported.
The airstrikes hit the area of al-Jah in the district of Bayt al-Faqih, south of Hodeidah, and the Al-Jabanah area in the northern part of the port city, the report said, without providing more details.
Since last November, Yemen’s Houthi group has been carrying out attacks in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait on ships linked to Israel, in a move to show its solidarity with Hamas fighting with Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip since last October.
In response, the US and UK have launched airstrikes and missile attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen since January 12. The Houthis have vowed to retaliate by expanding attacks on ships, including American and British commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Based on the request from the MV Merlin Luanda, INS Visakhapatnam has deployed the Ship’s NBCD team along with firefighting equipment to provide assistance to the crew
Indian Navy’s guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam deployed in the Gulf of Aden responded to a distress call from MV Merlin Luanda on Friday night. The MV has 22 Indian and 01 Bangladeshi crew onboard, according to the Indian Navy.
Based on the request from the MV Merlin Luanda, INS Visakhapatnam has deployed the Ship’s NBCD team along with firefighting equipment to provide assistance to the crew towards augmenting firefighting efforts onboard the distressed MV Merlin Luanda, according to the Indian Navy. The Indian Navy remains steadfast and committed towards safeguarding MVs and ensuring safety of life at sea, according to the statement released by Indian Navy spokesperson on X.
In a post on X, the Indian Navy spokesperson stated, “IndianNavy’s Guided missile destroyer, #INSVisakhapatnam, deployed in the #GulfofAden responded to a distress call from MV #MarlinLuanda on the night of #26Jan 24. The fire fighting efforts onboard the distressed Merchant Vessel is being augmented by the NBCD team along with firefighting equipment, deployed by #INSVisakhapatnam to assist the crew onboard the MV. The MV has 22 #Indian & 01 Bangladeshi crew onboard. #IndianNavy remains steadfast & committed towards safeguarding MVs & ensuring safety of life at sea.”
Meanwhile, the US Central Command stated that Houthi terrorists fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and hit the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker M/V Marlin Luanda
In a post on X, US Central Command stated, “Houthis Strike M/V Marlin Luanda Operating in the Gulf of Aden. On Jan. 26, at approximately 7:45 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker M/V Marlin Luanda.”
“The ship issued a distress call and reported damage. USS Carney (DDG 64) and other coalition ships have responded and are rendering assistance. No injuries have been reported at this time,” it added.
Earlier this month, the Indian Navy’s mission-deployed guided missile destroyer, INS Visakhapatnam, addressed a distress call from the Marshall Island-flagged MV Genco Picardy following a drone attack on the night of January 17. INS Visakhapatnam, currently on an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden, promptly acknowledged the distress call. The destroyer intercepted the vessels at midnight on January 18, 2024, to provide immediate assistance. (ANI)
This defensive action took place shortly after the initial strikes against the Houthi rebels, likely within a timeframe of 15 to 30 minutes from the main operation….reports Asian Lite News
Following the second round of joint American-British strikes against Yemeni rebels, the United States swiftly neutralized an imminent threat posed by a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile, as revealed by the Pentagon on Tuesday.
Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder stated that, in an act of self-defense, the U.S. targeted and destroyed the cruise missile, preventing a potential launch that could have posed a serious threat to vessels in the region.
This defensive action took place shortly after the initial strikes against the Houthi rebels, likely within a timeframe of 15 to 30 minutes from the main operation.
On Monday, the US-British coalition struck Houthi camps in Yemen’s capital and other provinces at midnight.
The strikes targetted the al-Hafa camp in eastern Sanaa and the al-Daylami air base in the north. They also hit sites in Rada, a city in the central province of al-Bayda, and Maqbanah area in the southwestern province of Taiz, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said without giving details.
Residents said the explosions were powerful and their sounds could be heard across the city, Xinhua news agency reported.
The strikes came hours after the Houthis said they launched a missile attack at a US military ship in the Gulf of Aden on Monday and claimed a direct hit. The US side did not comment on the alleged attack.
The US-Britain maritime coalition in the Red Sea has carried out several airstrikes on Houthi camps in various northern provinces of Yemen. The coalition said these actions are aimed at preventing the Houthi group from launching missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea shipping lane.
The Houthi group vowed to continue targetting ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea until Israel ends its war and blockade on Gaza, a Palestinian territory.
Last week, the US re-designated the Houthi group as a global terrorist organisation and said the move would not affect food and medicine supplies to northern Yemen.
Ravindra did not name the Yemeni Houthi rebels who are carrying out the attack or specifically mention the Red Sea around where the incidents have taken place…writes Arul Louis
The spillover of the Israel-Hamas conflict to “the vicinity of India” with attacks on shipping by Houthi rebels has an impact on India’s economic interests, according to Deputy Permanent Representative R. Ravindra.
The conflict’s impact on the safety of commercial shipping in the Indian Ocean “has a direct bearing on India’s own energy and economic interests”, he said on Tuesday at a high-level meeting of the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East.
He said some of the attacks were happening “in the vicinity of India” and “this fraught situation is not to the benefit of any party, and this must be clearly recognised,” he said.
Ravindra did not name the Yemeni Houthi rebels who are carrying out the attack or specifically mention the Red Sea around where the incidents have taken place.
The Houthi rebels have said that they are attacking ships as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians under attack from Israel in Gaza.
The Red Sea forms the link for the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal, the main link for India and Asia to areas of the Middle East, Europe and beyond.
India’s Navy has said that it was “surging” its presence in the region and earlier this month one of its ships acted to protect a commercial ship under attack.
France, the president of the Security Council for this month, convened the high-level meeting presided over by Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne with the participation of about 15 foreign ministers, including Russia’s Sergey Lavrov and Iran’s Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the situation in the Red Sea is “deeply worrying”.
“Houthi attacks are disrupting global trade”, he said, and “these have been followed by airstrikes by the United States and the United Kingdom on Houthi positions in Yemen.”
“De-escalation is essential — and all attacks on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea must cease immediately,” he said.
He said that a two-state solution of independent Israel and Palestine living side-by-side is the only way to end the conflict.
Referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of a two-state solution, he said that it was “unacceptable” and noted that it came against “the strongest appeals from even the friends of Israel, including those sitting around this table”.
“It would exacerbate polarisation and embolden extremists everywhere,” he warned.
Guterres said that 1,200 Israelis and others “were killed in the horrific terror attacks launched by Hamas against Israel, with over 250 people taken hostage” at the start of the conflict.
“Nothing can justify deliberate killing, injuring, kidnapping of civilians, the use of sexual violence against them — or the indiscriminate launching of rockets towards civilian targets,” he said.
The counter-operations launched by Israel have “been heartbreaking and catastrophic for Palestinian civilians in Gaza” where more than 25,000 people, mainly women and children, have reportedly been killed”, he said, reiterating his call for a ceasefire.
Ravindra said that India has “strongly condemned the death of civilians” in the Israel-Hamas conflict which has led to “an alarming humanitarian crisis”.
“There can be no justification for terrorism and hostage-taking,” he said.
India “has a long-standing and uncompromising position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”, he said.
Ravindra said that India reiterates “the demand for their immediate and unconditional release” of all hostages taken by Hamas.
He reiterated India’s backing for a two-state solution “where the Palestinian people are able to live freely in an independent country within secure borders with due regard to the security needs of Israel”.
That is the only way for “an enduring peace that the people of Israel and Palestine desire and deserve”, he said.
US Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya said that President Joe Biden believes that a two-state solution is “the only path to a durable peace, as well as the only guarantor of a secure and democratic Israel”.
Zeya, who is of Indian descent and the highest-ranking Muslim in the Stage Department, said, “A stronger, reformed and revitalised Palestinian Authority that can more effectively deliver for its own people in both the West Bank and Gaza must also be part of the equation”.
Strongly denouncing the Hamas assault on Israel, she said that “we lament” that Russia, which has veto powers, has blocked efforts in the Council to condemn the Hamas terrorist attack..
Facing a tide of criticism of Israel, some of that directed against the US, Zeya also had strong words for Israelis.
“We continue to convey to Israeli leaders that they need to do more to protect civilians and take feasible precautions to minimize civilian harm, in line with international humanitarian law,” she said.
She said the US is “deeply troubled” by the “unprecedented levels of violence by extremist settlers” from Israel and “we condemn killings of Palestinian civilians and we urge Israel to prevent and investigate settler violence, as well as hold perpetrators accountable”.
Outlining the calamitous outcomes of the Israeli attacks on Gaza, Palestine’s Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said, “There are two choices — a spreading fire or a ceasefire”.
He asked that Palestine should be made a full member of the UN, upgraded from its present observer status that does not give it a vote in the General Assembly.
That was echoed by several ministers.
Malaysia Foreign Minister Mohamad Hassan said Palestine should no longer be treated as a “second-class citizen”.
Israel’s Gilad Erdan said that the UN was ineffective in dealing with the problems of the Middle East, offering “aspirin for cancer” instead of going to the root cause of the malaise.
He said “Israelis will face another attempted Holocaust” from the cease-fire demanded by some Council members as it will enable Hamas to regroup and rearm.
US media reported that the US and Britain carried out strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen late Monday, the eighth round of attacks on the rebels’ camps in just over 10 days…reports Asian Lite News
The US-British coalition struck Houthi camps in Yemen’s capital and other provinces at midnight, the media reported on Tuesday.
The strikes targetted the al-Hafa camp in eastern Sanaa and the al-Daylami air base in the north. They also hit sites in Rada, a city in the central province of al-Bayda, and Maqbanah area in the southwestern province of Taiz, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said without giving details.
Residents said the explosions were powerful and their sounds could be heard across the city, Xinhua news agency reported.
Meanwhile, US media reported that the US and Britain carried out strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen late Monday, the eighth round of attacks on the rebels’ camps in just over 10 days.
The strikes came hours after the Houthis said they launched a missile attack at a US military ship in the Gulf of Aden on Monday and claimed a direct hit. The US side did not comment on the alleged attack.
The US-Britain maritime coalition in the Red Sea has carried out several airstrikes on Houthi camps in various northern provinces of Yemen. The coalition said these actions are aimed at preventing the Houthi group from launching missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea shipping lane.
The Houthi group vowed to continue targetting ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea until Israel ends its war and blockade on Gaza, a Palestinian territory.
Last week, the US re-designated the Houthi group as a global terrorist organisation and said the move would not affect food and medicine supplies to northern Yemen.
The White House confirmed in a statement that this was the fourth preemptive action taken by the US military amid boiling tensions in the Red Sea.
The United States carried out a fresh round of attack against the Houthi rebels in Yemen destroying three anti-ship missiles in the Red Sea.
The White House confirmed in a statement that this was the fourth preemptive action taken by the US military amid boiling tensions in the Red Sea.
“This morning, US forces conducted three successful self-defence strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. This is the fourth preemptive action that the US military has taken in the past,” White House said in a statement on Friday.
The US Central Command informed that the attack was carried out at around 6:45 pm (Sanaa time) after the anti-ship missiles “presented an imminent threat” to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region.
“As part of ongoing efforts to protect freedom of navigation and prevent attacks on maritime vessels, US Navy ships are present in the Red Sea. On Jan. 19 at approximately 6:45 p.m. (Sanaa time), US Central Command forces conducted strikes against three Houthi anti-ship missiles that were aimed into the Southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch,” the US Central Command posted on X.
“US forces identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region. US forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missiles in self-defense. This action will make international waters safe and secure for US navy vessels and merchant vessels,” it added.
U.S. CENTCOM Destroys Three Houthi Terrorists' Anti-Ship Missiles
As part of ongoing efforts to protect freedom of navigation and prevent attacks on maritime vessels, U.S. Navy ships are present in the Red Sea. On Jan. 19 at approximately 6:45 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central… pic.twitter.com/vPYUaIvvA5
Earlier on Thursday, Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles at US Ship Chem Ranger, but no injury or damage was reported, US Central Command said.
Prior to this, the US forces had launched strikes on 14 Houthi missiles “that were loaded to be fired in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen” on Thursday.
US called the attack its ongoing multi-national efforts to protect freedom of navigation and prevent attacks on US and partner maritime traffic in the Red Sea on January 17 at approximately 11:59 p.m. (Sanaa time).
Notably, the US redesignated the Yemeni group as a “terrorist” organisation in response to its continuing attacks and threats to shipping and imposed sanctions on it. The designation does not go into effect for 30 days.
The Houthis said the designation will not affect its operations to prevent Israeli ships or vessels heading to Israel from crossing the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
The Houthis, who support the Palestinian armed group Hamas, launched their attacks in response to Israel’s war on Gaza. Their strikes have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and alarmed major world powers, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)
The Navy once again came to the rescue of a cargo vessel with 22, including nine Indians onboard, which came under attack by drones in the Gulf of Aden.
The Navy received a distress call, and soon after the warship INS Visakhapatnam intercepted the vessel and provided the assistance.
The Indian Navy informed that its Guided Missile Destroyer INS Visakhapatnam mission deployed in Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy operations, “swiftly responded to a distress call by Marshall Island flagged MV Genco Picardy following a drone attack at 2311 hours on January 17 and intercepted the MV at 0030 hrs on 1January 18 to provide assistance”.
MV Genco Picardy with 22 crew, including nine Indians, reported nil casualties and fire under control, said officials.
After intercepting the vessel, MV Genco Picardy, bomb experts from INS Visakhapatnam boarded the ship to inspect the damaged area. “Specialists, after a thorough inspection, have rendered the area safe for further transit. The vessel is proceeding to the next port of call,” Navy said.
The incident comes amid growing concerns over Houthi militants stepping up attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues. Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar has issued instructions to firmly deal with such maritime incidents.
On January 4 also Indian Navy’s Mission Deployed platforms responded swiftly to a maritime incident in Arabian Sea involving a hijacking attempt onboard Liberia Flagged bulk carrier.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that the vessel had sent a message on the UKMTO portal indicating boarding by approximately five to six unknown armed personnel in the evening. Responding swiftly to the developing situation, the Indian Navy launched a Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) and diverted INS Chennai deployed for Maritime Security Operations to assist the vessel, officials added.
The aircraft overflew the vessel on early morning of January 5 and established contact with the vessel, ascertaining the Safety of the crew, the MoD officials added.
According to the MoD, India has increased maritime surveillance in the Arabian Sea. The Indian Navy has deployed 10 warships here in view of the incidents of piracy and kidnapping. The Navy has doubled the number of warships here within the last few days. Navy helicopters have also been deployed on the warships.
Houthi Rebels Claim Responsibility for Missile Attack on US Ship
Yemen’s Houthi group on Friday claimed responsibility for carrying out a missile attack on a US ship in the Gulf of Aden.
“The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces (Houthis) carried out an attack targetting a US ship (Chem Ranger) in the Gulf of Aden with several appropriate naval missiles, and the hit was accurate,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement telecasted by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.
US military says no injuries or damage caused by anti-ship cruise missile fired towards USS Laboon
The United States military has shot down a missile fired at one of its vessels by Iran-backed Houthis, officials have said, in the first known attack on US forces by the rebel group since Washington began its latest air strikes on Yemen.
A US fighter aircraft shot down the anti-ship cruise missile after it was fired from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen towards the USS Laboon in the Red Sea, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday.
“The missile was shot down in vicinity of the coast of Hodeida by US fighter aircraft,” CENTCOM said. “There were no injuries or damage reported.”
The attack is the first to be acknowledged by the US since Washington and its allies on Friday began launching air and cruise missile strikes on Yemen in response to Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthis, which have yet to acknowledge the latest incident, have carried out repeated attacks on cargo ships that the group says are linked to Israel, in a show of support for Palestinians under Israeli bombardment in Gaza.
At least 26 vessels have been attacked by the Houthis since they seized the Israeli-linked Galaxy Leader vessel in November.
The attacks have forced some of the world’s largest shipping operators to redirect their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of Africa, severely disrupting global trade.
On Jan. 14 at approximately 4:45 p.m. (Sanaa time), an anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon (DDG 58), which was operating in the Southern Red Sea. The missile was shot down in vicinity of the coast of Hudaydah by… pic.twitter.com/jftZHQhA2e
Traffic through the Red Sea, which normally facilitates the movement of $3bn-$9bn worth of cargo each day, has dropped by more than 40 percent since the start of the attacks.
Earlier on Sunday, Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam accused the US of violating national sovereignty by flying aircraft close to Yemeni airspace and coastal areas, although it is not clear if the two incidents were linked.
Meanwhile, Houthis’ spokesperson said that US strikes on Yemen had no significant impact on its capabilities. Houthis will continue to prevent Israel-affiliated vessels from passing through the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, Mohammed Abdulsalam told news agency Reuters following the latest strike on a military base in Sanaa. Another Yemen’s Houthi group Ansarullah’s official told Al Jazeera that there were no injuries in the strike and the group has vowed a “strong and effective” response. “There were no injuries, no material nor human losses,” Nasruldeen Amer said.
The first day of U.S.-led strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs launched by fighter jets, warships and a submarine. Sites hit included weapon depots, radars and command centers, including in remote mountain areas, the U.S. has said.
The Houthis have yet to acknowledge how severe the damage was from the strikes, which they said killed five of their troops and wounded six others.
U.S. forces followed up with a strike Saturday on a Houthi radar site.
Shipping through the Red Sea has slowed over the attacks. The U.S. Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for 72 hours after the initial airstrikes.
For their part, the Houthis alleged without providing evidence that the U.S. struck a site near Hodeida on Sunday around the same time of the cruise missile fire. The Americans and the United Kingdom did not acknowledge conducting any strike — suggesting the blast may have been from a misfiring Houthi missile.
Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade.
Though the Biden administration and its allies have tried to calm tensions in the Middle East for weeks and prevent any wider conflict, the strikes threatened to ignite one.
Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government-in-exile that the Houthis are fighting, sought to distance itself from the attacks on Houthi sites as it tries to maintain a delicate détente with Iran and a cease-fire it has in Yemen. The Saudi-led, U.S.-backed war in Yemen that began in 2015 has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.
The American military did not specifically say the fire targeted the Laboon, following a pattern by the U.S. since the Houthi attacks began. However, U.S. sailors have received combat ribbons for their actions in the Red Sea— something handed out only to those who face active hostilities with an enemy force.
