Aircraft of Israel bombed Hodeida, port city of Yemen, in response to a drone attack in Tel Aviv claimed by Houthi rebels, in the context of an escalation of the conflict in Middle East which could push up prices of Petroleum.
While the strength of the dollar This is in contrast to the first attacks announced by Israel against Yemen, a country at war partially controlled by these insurgents, supported by Iran and allies of the Palestinian Islamist movement. Hamas.
The crude Brent fell $2.48 on Friday, or 2.91%, closing the week at $82.63 a barrel, while U.S. crude futures West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell $2.69, or 3.25%, to $80.13.
An attack that could escalate tensions in the Middle East
At least 80 people were injured, some of them with serious burns, according to the provisional estimate of the victims of the attack. “According to the first preliminary assessment of the crime committed by the Israeli enemy targeting the depots of Petroleum and the power plant in Al Hodeida, there are at least 80 injured, most of them with severe burns”, reported the Houthi news agency Saba.
For months, Houthi rebels have been carrying out attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden against ships they say are linked to Israel, in solidarity with the Palestinians in Loop.
“Israeli army fighter jets recently struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the region of port of Hodeida, in Yemen, in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel” by these rebels in recent months, the Israeli army said in a statement.
“We will defend ourselves by all means, on all fronts,” declared the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, following the bombings in Yemen.
For their part, the Houthis said that Israel “will pay for attacking civilian facilities, and we will respond to escalation with escalation” and stressed that the attack hit “fuel storage facilities and a power station,” they said. Mohamed al Bukhaiti, member of the Politburo of the rebels, who control Hodeida (west).
The attacks are aimed at “putting pressure on Yemen to stop supporting” the Palestinians, he said on social media.
A strategic point in the Red Sea
The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, an essential area for world trade, forced many shipping companies to go around the sea. Africa, a much longer route.
In December, USAIsrael’s ally, the Islamic Republic of Iran, created a multinational force to protect shipping in this strategic area and has launched numerous attacks against the Houthis in Yemen since January, with the help of United Kingdom.
The war in Yemen, a poor country on the Arabian Peninsula, has been between the Houthis and the government backed by Saudi Arabia and has caused one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world.
The port of Hodeida is a key entry point for fuel and goods into rebel-held areas, he said. Mohamed Albasha, Middle East analyst for US-based company Navanti Group.
“Traders now fear that these attacks will worsen the already critical humanitarian and food security situation in northern Yemen, as most trade passes through this port,” he said.
Source: Ambito
