American forces struck a Houthi rebel site in Yemen early Saturday after the latter attacked a British 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 (00:45 GMT), the US Middle East Military Command (Centcom) carried out a strike against a Houthi anti-ship missile that was preparing to be launched in the Red Sea,” he announced on X , specifying that this missile presented an “imminent threat” to 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, indicated Friday evening that they had fired “missiles” against a “British oil tanker, the Marlin Luanda”, specifying that the ship, “hit head on, caught fire”.
The crew “safe and sound”
The rebels’ military spokesman, 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,” Ambrey said, adding that the crew was so far “safe and sound”.
Shortly before this attack, the United States destroyed an anti-ship ballistic missile fired “from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen” and aimed at an Arleigh-Burke-class destroyer, a US warship.
Since November, 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 bloody attack by the Islamist movement Hamas on October 7.
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.
Disrupted traffic
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.
The repercussions on maritime traffic and global trade are already being felt. According to the UN, the trade volume transiting through the Suez Canal, a crucial passage which connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, has decreased by 42% over the last two months.
The disruptions to trade in the Red Sea are all the more worrying given that “more than 80%” of global trade in goods is carried out by sea and that “other important routes are already under tension”, underlines UNCTAD, the UN body responsible for trade and development.
On Thursday, a Houthi delegation was visiting Moscow to discuss the “need to intensify efforts to pressure” the United States and Israel to end the war in Gaza and “deliver humanitarian aid rather than militarizing the Red Sea,” according to a rebel spokesperson, Mohammed Abdelsalam.