• US, UK launch new wave of strikes against the group
• Iran says strikes ‘escalate tensions’

CAIRO/WASHINGTON/TEHRAN: Yemen’s Houthis targeted MV Torm Thor, a US-flagged, owned, and operated oil tanker, in the Gulf of Aden, the Iran-aligned group’s military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on Sunday, as the fighters continue to attack shipping lanes in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The group targeted the tanker with “a number of appropriate naval missiles,” Sarea added in a televised speech.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the USS Mason, a guided missile destroyer, on Saturday shot down one anti-ship ballistic missile launched into the Gulf of Aden from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen that was likely targeting the tanker.

Neither the USS Mason nor MV Torm Thor were damaged and there were no injuries, CENTCOM added in a statement.

The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have launched exploding drones and missiles at commercial vessels since Nov 19 as a protest against Israel’s military operations in Gaza.

The US and Britain have launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen and redesignated the militia as a terrorist group.

The turmoil from Israel’s aggression against Hamas has spilled over to some extent into other parts of the Middle East. Apart from the Houthi attacks on vital shipping lanes, Hezbollah has traded fire with Israel along the Israel-Lebanon border and pro-Iran Iraqi militia have attacked bases that host US forces.

American and British forces carried out a fresh wave of strikes against 18 Houthi targets in Yemen, following weeks of unrelenting attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed rebels.US forces on Friday also shot down three attack drones near commercial ships in the Red Sea and destroyed seven anti-ship cruise missiles on land, CENTCOM said.

Fresh wave of strikes

The strikes “specifically targeted 18 Houthi targets across eight locations in Yemen” including weapons storage facilities, attack drones, air defence systems, radars and a helicopter, a joint statement said.

It was co-signed by Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand, who gave unspecified “support” to the new round of strikes, the second this month and fourth since the rebels began their attacks on ships in the region.

“The Houthis’ now more than 45 attacks on commercial and naval vessels since mid-November constitute a threat to the global economy, as well as regional security and stability, and demand an international response,” the statement said.

Houthi-run Al-Masirah television reported “a series of raids on the capital Sanaa,” while correspondents in the rebel-controlled city in western Yemen said they heard several loud bangs.

“The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways,” Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said in a separate statement after the strikes.

“We will continue to make clear to the Houthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks, which harm Middle Eastern economies, cause environmental damage, and disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other countries.”

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree was defiant, vowing in a social media statement that the rebels would “confront the American-British escalation with more qualitative military operations against all hostile targets in the Red and Arab Seas.” The UK Ministry of Defence said four Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s targeted “several very long-range drones, used by the Houthis for both reconnaissance and attack missions,” on Saturday, at a site northeast of Sanaa.

Saturday’s operation comes after several merchant vessels were struck this week in the region, including the fertilizer-filled Rubymar, whose crew had to abandon ship after it was hit several days ago and began taking on water.

British maritime security agency UKMTO reported another attack on an unspecified ship near the port of Djibouti on Saturday night, saying there had been an “explosion in close proximity to the vessel, no damage is reported to the vessel and there are no injuries to the crew.” “Vessel is proceeding to next port of call,” it added in a bulletin.

Anti-ship missile downed

Apart from the joint operations with Britain, the United States has also carried out unilateral strikes against Houthi positions and weaponry in Yemen, and has downed dozens of missiles and drones in the Red Sea.

The Houthis say they are targeting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Following previous US and UK strikes, the Houthis declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.

The Houthis will “persist in upholding their religious, moral and humanitarian duties towards the Palestinian people, and their military operations will not stop unless the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted,” military spokesman Saree said.

Strikes ‘escalate tensions’

“With such attacks, America and Britain seek to escalate tensions and crises in the region, and expand the scope of war and instability,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement.The Islamic republic has previously said it sees a “duty” to support what it calls “resistance groups” in the region, but insists they are “independent” in decision and action.

Iran condemned on Sunday the latest strikes by the United States and Britain on Yemen, saying they were seeking to “escalate tensions and crises” in the region.

“Certainly, this kind of arbitrary and aggressive military operation, aside from aggravating insecurity and instability in the region, will not achieve anything for these aggressor countries,” Kanani added.

He condemned the United States and Britain for failing to “take immediate and effective action” to stop Israel’s deadly campaign in Gaza.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2024