American and British forces have carried out renewed attacks on Houthi militia targets in Yemen, according to the US Department of Defense. The target was, among other things, an underground weapons depot for the Islamists.
The US and Britain have attacked the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen in a new joint military operation. The attacks on Tuesday night targeted “eight Houthi targets in Yemen in response to ongoing attacks” by the rebels on international and commercial shipping and naval vessels transiting the Red Sea, Washington and London said. Both countries had already carried out attacks on Houthi positions a week and a half ago in response to militia attacks.
In addition to the USA and Great Britain, Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands supported the campaign. This is the second coordinated military strike of its kind in less than two weeks. The declared aim is to weaken the military capabilities of the militant Islamist Houthis. So far, the Houthis’ attacks on the trade routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden have not been stopped despite several waves of attacks in the past month.
Attacks on the Houthis’ war logistics
The U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said in a separate statement that the targets of the attacks included missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, radars and deeply buried weapons caches. A senior US military official said the attacks were carried out with a combination of precision-guided munitions from American and British aircraft and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The Houthi militia-controlled Saba news agency reported that the capital Sanaa and several other parts of the country were targeted in the attacks. The Al-Masira television station, which is also under Houthi control, reported four attacks on the Al-Dailami military base in northern Sanaa.
The Houthi militia said on Monday that it had attacked a US ship in the Gulf of Aden. The US military freighter “Ocean Jazz” was attacked with anti-ship missiles, said the Houthis’ military spokesman, Jahja Saree. A representative of the US Department of Defense described the information to the AFP news agency as “false”.
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Houthi attacks have an impact on the global economy
Since the beginning of the Gaza war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly attacked freighters with alleged Israeli connections in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The militia sees itself as part of the self-proclaimed “Axis of Resistance” directed against Israel, of which the radical Islamic Hamas is also a member. In response to the attacks, the United States and Great Britain attacked Houthi positions in Yemen around a week and a half ago, and the USA continued its attacks.
Given the dangers, major shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. This now has a significant impact on the global economy.
The shipping route from the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden to the Indian Ocean is an extremely important route for world trade and passes directly by Yemen. According to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), twelve percent of world trade passes through the Red Sea. As a result of the attacks, many shipping companies are rerouting their ships, resulting in longer and more expensive voyages.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
