[ad_1]
THE US has launched a fourth round of strikes against Houthi rebels in just under a week after another cargo ship was struck.
The Iran-backed group has been causing chaos at sea as tensions explode in the Middle East and the Israel and Hamas war rages on.
3
3
Yesterday evening, an American cargo ship sailing under a Marshall Islands flag off the Yemen coast was damaged with the furious rebel group vowing “more attacks are coming”.
The US swiftly hit back with strikes targeting several sites that were prepared to launch further assaults, a US official confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday.
Washington said it will re-designate the group as “global terrorists”.
The new designation will require US financial institutions to freeze Houthi funds and its members will be banned from the US.
A statement from US Central command read: “US Central Command forces conducted strikes on 14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired in Houthi controlled areas in Yemen.
“These missiles on launch rails presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region and could have been fired at any time, prompting US forces to exercise their inherent right and obligation to defend themselves.
“These strikes, along with other actions we have taken, will degrade the Houthi’s capabilities to continue their reckless attacks on international and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.”
USCENTCOM Commander General Michael Erik Kurilla added: “The actions by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists continue to endanger international mariners and disrupt the commercial shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea and adjacent waterways.”
The Yemeni Armed Forces confirmed on Wednesday that “more attacks are coming” in retaliation for US and British attacks on Houthi assets.
An official statement read: “The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a targeting operation against the American ship (Ginko Picardie) in the Gulf of Aden with a number of suitable naval missiles, and the hit was accurate and direct, thanks to God.
“The Yemeni armed forces will not hesitate to target all sources of threat in the Arab and Red Bahrain within the legitimate right to defend dear Yemen and to continue supporting the oppressed Palestinian people.”
Last night’s Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier – owned by the US – was hit by an unmanned aerial vehicle southeast of Aden as it was heading east along the Gulf of Aden, according to maritime security firm Ambrey.
On Tuesday, the US military pounded the Iran-backed rebels with another airstrike on a stash of anti-ship ballistic missiles in Yemen.
Officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the strike targeted four anti-ship missiles in a Houthi-controlled part of the country.
Since the UK and the US smashed dozens of military targets last week in Yemen, the furious rebel group has vowed “unimaginable” revenge.
And earlier on Tuesday, a missile fired from Yemen hit a Greek-owned cargo ship in the Red Sea.
The incident took place 100 nautical miles north west of Saleef, the UKMTO said.
Tuesday’s attack comes after the Houthis hit a US-owned cargo ship with a three-rocket barrage on Monday.
The port side of the vessel was hit “from above” by one of the missiles – while the other two failed to reach the sea.
It came just hours after a US warship downed a cruise missile fired by the Houthi rebels.
According to Ambrey, the attack “targeted US interests in response to US military strikes on Houthi military positions in Yemen”.
Meanwhile, Iran’s strike on Pakistan and its fallout has threatened to open a new front in the Middle East crisis as it spills into Asia.
Iran attacked targets inside Pakistan with bomb-carrying drones and rockets reportedly killing two kids.
Pakistan has slammed Tehran for the “unprovoked” strike – but Iran’s military accused the so-called “terrorist” group of attempting to storm their border only weeks ago.
Iran has since admitted carrying out the deadly strike on Pakistani territory, the BBC reported.
Reports said they targeted bases belonging to the militant group Jaish al-Adl, who also have a presence in Iran itself.
Iran’s foreign minister said the operation targeted the militant group Jaish al-Adli, which he described as an “Iranian terrorist group” in Pakistan.
As a result Pakistan’s government recalled its ambassador to Iran and has blocked Tehran’s envoy from returning.
The group raged on Tuesday that six bomb-carrying drones and rockets struck homes belonging to the militants, their wives and children.
They claimed two children had died in the ambush and two women and a teenage girl were injured.
The attack further fuels conflict in the Middle East, which is a tinderbox ready to be lit as tensions explode in the Red Sea and the Israel and Gaza conflict rages on.
It also adds pressure to the already tense relations between Iran and Pakistan, countries that have long eyed each other with suspicion.
Who are the Houthis?
THE Houthi rebels are terrorising vessels in the Red Sea and now their bases were blitzed in US and UK strikes – but who are they?
The Shia militant group, which now controls most of Yemen, spent over a decade being largely ignored by the world.
However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war they sprung from relative obscurity to holding roughly £1trillion of world trade hostage – turning one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes into an active warzone.
Why are they attacking ships?
The rebel group has been launching relentless drone and missile attacks on any ships they deem to be connected with Israel in solidarity with their ally Hamas.
The sea assaults have threatened to ignite a full-blown war in the Middle East as ripples from Israel’s war in Gaza are felt across the region – with Iran suspected of stoking the chaos.
However, there have been frequent attacks on commercial vessels with little or no link to Israel – forcing global sea traffic to halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices soaring.
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea increased 50 per cent between November and December.
Their slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam”.
And the rebel group’s leaders have previously pledged the attacks will continue until Israel stops its devastating offensive inside Gaza.
On Thursday night, explosions rang out in Yemen and President Biden and PM Rishi Sunak struck over 60 Houthi targets.
[ad_2]