American forces struck a Houthi site in Yemen early on Saturday, January 27, after an attack by the latter against a British oil tanker which ” caught fire “ in the Gulf of Aden, a new episode in their campaign targeting international maritime traffic in “solidarity” with Gaza.
“At approximately 3:45 a.m. local time, U.S. Middle East Command [Centcom] carried out a strike against a Houthi anti-ship missile that was about to be launched into the Red Sea »he announced on X, specifying that this missile presented a “imminent threat” for American destroyers and merchant ships in the region.
Rebels close to Iran, who are increasing attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, announced Friday evening that they had fired “missiles” against one “British tanker, the “Marlin Luanda””specifying that the ship, “hit head on, caught fire”. The rebels’ military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, added in his statement that the attack was carried out in support of the Palestinian people and “in response to British and American aggression against our country”.
Private maritime risk firm Ambrey had earlier reported that a merchant vessel had been hit in the same area, reporting a fire on board, although it was not clear at this stage whether it was the same incident. “A merchant ship was hit by a “missile”, causing a fire”indicated Ambrey, specifying that the crew was until now ” safe and sound “.
Shortly before this attack, the United States destroyed an anti-ship ballistic missile fired “from areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis” and which was heading towards an Arleigh-Burke-class destroyer, an American warship.
Houthi missile and drone launch sites targeted
Since November 2023, Houthi rebels have fired numerous missiles and drones off the coast of Yemen, saying they target ships linked to Israel in “solidarity” with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, territory bombed and besieged by the Israeli army since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which caused 1,140 deaths.
In response, US forces, sometimes jointly with the UK, have carried out a series of strikes targeting the Houthis in an attempt to deter them from continuing to attack merchant ships, without success so far. The American strikes particularly targeted missile and drone launch sites. On Thursday, Washington and London announced sanctions against four senior Houthi officials, accused of being involved in organizing these attacks.
The Houthis control much of Yemen, after nearly a decade of war against the government, which has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. These tensions have pushed certain shipowners to suspend transits through the Red Sea, which normally sees up to 12% of world trade, and to bypass Africa to reach Asia and Europe.
Commercial transit through the Suez Canal down 42%
The repercussions on maritime traffic and global trade are already being felt. According to the United Nations, the volume of trade passing through the Suez Canal, a crucial passage linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, has decreased by 42% over the past two months.
The World Application
The Morning of the World
Every morning, find our selection of 20 articles not to be missed
Download the app
The disruptions to trade in the Red Sea are all the more worrying as “more than 80%” of global trade in goods is carried out by sea and that “other important roads are already under tension”underlines UNCTAD, the UN body responsible for trade and development.
On Thursday, a delegation of Houthis visited Moscow to discuss the “need to step up pressure efforts” on the United States and Israel in order to end the war in Gaza and“deliver humanitarian aid rather than militarizing the Red Sea”according to a rebel spokesperson, Mohammed Abdulsalam.