Houthis ramp up attacks in Red Sea
The Houthis have increased their attacks over the last several days, saying Tuesday that they “targeted two American destroyers and two ships in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.”
Their spokesman said they used drones to target the US ships, after a month in which it appeared that Houthi attacks had leveled off or had been reduced.
US Central Command said on April 29 that “between 10 a.m. and 5:20 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles and three UAVs from Yemen into the Red Sea towards MV Cyclades, a Malta-flagged, Greece-owned vessel. Initial reports indicate there were no injuries and the vessel continued on its way.”
The new attacks are raising eyebrows in the region. They were front page news at the pro-Iran Al-Mayadeen, which shows that Iran and its proxies view the new attacks as important moves for the Iran-backed “axis of resistance.” Tehran has been continuing to push Hamas and Hezbollah to carry out attacks on Israel. For instance terrorists in both Lebanon and Gaza have targeted the Jewish state with rockets in recent days.
The Houthis are a third front where
Iran seeks to escalate attacks. The Al-Ain media in the Gulf said that “new naval attacks were carried out by Houthi militias against American cargo ships and destroyers, extending from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.”
The report quoted Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree as saying that the militias carried out a series of attacks that targeted the Israeli ship MSC Orion, the Cyclades ship, and two American destroyers.
Iranian-backed groups often claim to attack Israeli ships or Israel-linked ships without providing evidence of the connection. We reported overnight at The Jerusalem Post that the Portugal-flagged MSC Orion was sailing between the ports in Sines, Portugal and Salalah, Oman and its registered owner is Zodiac Maritime, according to LSEG data.
The report goes on to claim that the attack on the MSC Orion took place in the Indian Ocean. This is also an escalation because the Houthis have usually concentrated attacks in the Red Sea.
The report at Al-Ain media said that the Houthis had “confirmed that the hit on the Cyclades ship came after an attack targeted it in the Red Sea.” The Cyclades sails under the flag of Malta, reports said, and was targeted with drones and missiles for “violating the ban and heading to the port of Eilat on April 21, using deception and camouflage, under the pretense that it was heading to another port,” the report said.
In addition, the Houthis are escalating attacks on US ships trying to prevent their attacks over the last five months. The ships come under US Central Command’s overall mission to secure shipping and prevent destabilization in the region.