The USA again attacked a position of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Saturday night. The US military said the target was a Houthi radar system. The attack with Tomahawk cruise missiles was launched from the US destroyer USS Carney. It was said that it came after the military strike the previous day. Initially nothing was known about possible victims.
On Friday night, the USA and Great Britain, with the support of allies, carried out a comprehensive military strike against the Houthis in Yemen – in response to the Houthis’ repeated attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. According to Penatgon, almost 30 Houthi positions were attacked. Lieutenant General Douglas Sims, who is responsible for military operations at the Pentagon, said on Friday that the evaluation of the operation had not yet been completed. But he knows that the rebels’ capabilities have been weakened.
According to the Houthis, five members were killed on Friday night. Six others were injured. The attacks hit the capital Sanaa as well as the provinces of Hudaida, Tais, Hajjah and Saada.
Military alliance refers to right of self-defense
The Houthis vowed to retaliate and said they would continue their attacks on merchant ships allegedly linked to Israel in the Red Sea. The Pentagon said the Houthis fired at least one anti-ship ballistic missile at a merchant ship on Friday.
Since the Gaza war broke out between Israel and the Islamist Hamas, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked ships with alleged Israeli connections in the Red Sea. Large shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the route. The Houthis also repeatedly attack Israel, which is a good 2,000 kilometers away, directly with drones and rockets.
The military strike was a response to the Houthis’ “illegal, dangerous and destabilizing” attacks on ships in the Red Sea and was based on the right of self-defense, said a joint statement from the alliance, which includes the USA and Great Britain, the Netherlands and Canada , Bahrain and Australia.
Fears of expansion into larger conflict
Around ten percent of all world trade passes through the Red Sea. The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea, providing the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe. The alternative route around the South African Cape of Good Hope extends the transport by a few days.
The latest developments are fueling fears that the numerous tensions and violent clashes in the region could escalate into a larger conflict in the Middle East.
Moscow condemned the military strike by the US and its allies. Iran also criticized the approach and warned of growing insecurity and instability in the region.
The Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen have taken over large parts of the north of the country in their uprising that has been ongoing since 2014 and also control the capital Sanaa. The rebels are supported by Shiite-majority Iran.
