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[PICTURES] Who are the Houthi rebels and why are they attacking Red Sea ships?

A suspected attack by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia on a ship in the Gulf of Aden caused “fatalities” Wednesday, the Associated Press reported, citing two US officials.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they didn’t have authorization to speak publicly about the killings on board the True Confidence.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center added that the Barbados-flagged vessel was no longer under the command of the crew and that they had abandoned it.

The exact extent of the damage remained unclear. However, it appeared to be serious.

Yemen’s Houthis didn’t immediately claim the attack, though it typically takes them several hours to acknowledge their assaults. They’ve been attacking ships sailing past Yemen since November over Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

 
The thought here is that they aren't afraid of the military might of America and the UK.
 
US conducts strikes in Yemen and downs Houthi drones

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it conducted self-defence strikes on Thursday against four mobile Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) and one Houthi unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

CENTCOM said its forces shot down three UAVs launched toward the Gulf of Aden from areas controlled by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.

REUTERS
 
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis discussed “expanding confrontations and encircling” Israel in a meeting in Lebanon with Hamas and other Palestinian factions, a Houthi official told AFP on Saturday.

Houthi attacks on Red Sea ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war have disrupted global trade, actions the Houthis say are in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Representatives from Hamas, whose October 7 attack on Israel triggered the war, the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine met last week with the Houthis in Beirut, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Palestinian sources on Friday told AFP that the meeting had taken place, with one of them saying the representatives discussed “mechanisms to coordinate their actions of resistance” for the “next stage” of the war in Gaza, now in its sixth month.

Another Palestinian source, also requesting anonymity to share details of the meeting, told AFP that those present discussed the “complementary role of Ansar Allah (the Houthis) alongside Palestinian factions, especially in the event of an Israeli offensive on Rafah.”

Most of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million people have sought refuge in Rafah, on the coastal territory’s southern border with Egypt, the last major urban area spared an Israeli ground offensive.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Friday he had approved the military’s plan for a ground operation in the city, without providing a timeline.

The Houthis, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are all part of the Iran-backed “axis of resistance,” an alliance of groups hostile to Israel and the United States that also includes Lebanese Hezbollah and armed groups in Iraq.

In a speech Thursday, Houthi leader Malik al-Houthi Abdul threatened to expand the group’s attacks to target ships avoiding the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by sailing south around Africa.

 
British security firm Ambrey said on Sunday that it had received a report that a Yemeni fishing vessel had been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden.

"Crew on board the fishing vessel were off-boarded in Bosaso, Somalia. One crew member was shot," Ambrey said in an advisory note.

Ambrey does not assess a heightened threat posed by this vessel, as it is believed the incident was related to a row between two parties.

"Ambrey understands that the incident was not Somali piracy-related, but related to a dispute between Yemeni fishermen and a local armed group operating west of Bosaso," it updated later.

"The Yemeni crew member shot during the incident has since died in Bosaso," it said, adding that the vessel, which has 21 Yemenis aboard, is expected to return to Yemen on March 18.


Reuters
 

US Navy aircraft carrier faces relentless battle against Houthi attacks​


It's not just merchant ships being targeted by the Houthis in the Red Sea. The US carrier strike group trying to protect them has also been under constant threat too.

The BBC is the first British media to visit the USS Dwight D Eisenhower since it began this mission in November.

"This is deadly stuff," says Captain Dave Wroe, who commands the four US Navy destroyers which provide the extra protection for the carrier.

It arrived soon after Yemen's Houthi's began to target merchant vessels - they say in response to Israel's assault on Gaza.

Captain Wroe lists the threats they've been facing over the past four months: anti-ship ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned surface vessels, and now unmanned underwater vessels, or UUVs, all loaded with explosives.

UUVs are the latest threat. He says the F-18 jets on board the carrier have recently destroyed UUVs, before they could be launched.

Captain Wroe says the Houthis have posed the greatest challenge to the US Navy in recent history.

"This is the most since World War Two," he says. That was the last time the US operated in an area where they could be fired upon every day.

The tempo of operations on the aircraft carrier itself has also been unrelenting - with dozens of sorties being flown round the clock.

We watch as the deck crew direct the F-18s with luminous sticks, which they use to manoeuvre the jets round the flight deck at night.

Up in the carrier's flight control tower, Commander George Zintac, known as the Air Boss, is having to choreograph their movements - with a jet either launching or landing in just over a minute.

He's been in the US Navy for more than 30 years, but says "this is probably the most flying I've done on a deployment - everyday we're flying a tonne".

In daylight you can see what they've been doing. On the side of each cockpit they've painted the silhouettes of the bombs they've dropped, the radar stations destroyed, and the drones they've shot down from the air. They've already fired more than 300 bombs and missiles.

Row after row of more munitions are lined up in the hangar, ready for loading.

From the USS Eisenhower, or Ike as she's called by the crew, you can still see a few large merchant ships - tankers and bulk carriers sailing in the distance. But they're fewer in number.

Normally, the Red Sea carries around 20% of the world's maritime trade. It's the key route to Europe through the Suez Canal. It's less vital to America, but they're the ones doing the most to try to restore freedom of navigation.

But even with the presence of a US carrier strike group, the Red Sea remains extremely dangerous waters.

While we're on board we're told the Houthis have fired another ballistic missile, traveling at more than three times the speed of sound. The crews on the US destroyers have just minutes to track them and shoot them down. On this occasion it's well out of range and the missile falls into the water.

Others, though, have successfully hit merchant vessels. They've already struck several, sunk one - the Rubymar - and killed three crew on board the bulk carrier True Confidence.

Rear Admiral Marc Miguez, the Carrier Strike Group commander, sees the signs of continuing sea trade as evidence their presence has had some success.

He believes strikes led by the US, with the help of Britain, have already degraded some of the Houthis' military capabilities. But it certainly hasn't deterred or stopped them.

Rear Admiral Miguez believes the Houthis are not acting on their own.

"Iran is backing the Houthis right now, not only with weapons and technology, but also providing targeting information intelligence and support," he says.

I ask why then is the US not also targeting Iran? "That's a policy decision," he says, "but the roots of this start with Iran."

In reality, US President Joe Biden does not want to spark a wider Middle East conflict, particularly in an election year.

Admiral Miguez says they'll stay for "as long as we're needed".

But there are limits to sustaining this level of military presence.

Unlike the Houthis, they're away from home with few creature comforts. Every meal on board is literally feeding the five thousand. The food bill on the carrier alone is $2m (£1.6m) a month.

Captain Chris Hill, the commanding officer of Ike, says "people need breaks, they need to go home".

But he says they don't yet have dates for when that'll happen. So one of his tasks is to maintain the crews morale and resilience.

He even has a dog on board to help. Demo, a facility dog who's been trained for life on the carrier, walks the mess decks to help lift the crew's spirits.

He's not short of affection and Captain Hill says Demo has helped reduce some of the stress of being away for months on end. Most of the crew rarely see daylight.

But as for the USS Dwight D Eisenhower's main mission, it's still too early to judge what lasting effect it'll have achieved.

Captain Hill says: "It's difficult to define winning and losing in this kind of conflict."

"Ideally, we want to stop every Houthi attack."

When I ask whether that's achievable, he replies that it's "hard to say".

He suggests it will also require wider government and international efforts. In short, it'll take more than a powerful US carrier strike group to resolve this crisis.

Source: BBC
 
It's not just merchant ships being targeted by the Houthis in the Red Sea. The US carrier strike group trying to protect them has also been under constant threat too.

The BBC is the first British media to visit the USS Dwight D Eisenhower since it began this mission in November.

"This is deadly stuff," says Captain Dave Wroe, who commands the four US Navy destroyers which provide the extra protection for the carrier.

It arrived soon after Yemen's Houthi's began to target merchant vessels - they say in response to Israel's assault on Gaza.

Captain Wroe lists the threats they've been facing over the past four months: anti-ship ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned surface vessels, and now unmanned underwater vessels, or UUVs, all loaded with explosives.

UUVs are the latest threat. He says the F-18 jets on board the carrier have recently destroyed UUVs, before they could be launched.

Captain Wroe says the Houthis have posed the greatest challenge to the US Navy in recent history.

"This is the most since World War Two," he says. That was the last time the US operated in an area where they could be fired upon every day.

The tempo of operations on the aircraft carrier itself has also been unrelenting - with dozens of sorties being flown round the clock.

We watch as the deck crew direct the F-18s with luminous sticks, which they use to manoeuvre the jets round the flight deck at night.

F-18 jets are carrying out sorties all day and night to try to stop Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea
Up in the carrier's flight control tower, Commander George Zintac, known as the Air Boss, is having to choreograph their movements - with a jet either launching or landing in just over a minute.

He's been in the US Navy for more than 30 years, but says "this is probably the most flying I've done on a deployment - everyday we're flying a tonne".

In daylight you can see what they've been doing. On the side of each cockpit they've painted the silhouettes of the bombs they've dropped, the radar stations destroyed, and the drones they've shot down from the air. They've already fired more than 300 bombs and missiles.

Source: BBC
 

Yemen’s Houthis have carried out 50 attacks on ships since November: US official​


Yemen’s Houthi militia has attacked civilian and military ships sailing off Yemen’s shores at least 50 times since its assaults began late last year, a senior US Defense Department official said Thursday.

The Iran-backed Houthis have been striking merchant vessels transiting the vital Red Sea trade route for months despite repeated US and British airstrikes against them.

“In the Red Sea, the Houthis seek to affect this vital channel for global trade with at least 50 attacks against commercial shipping and naval vessels,” Assistant Secretary of Defense Celeste Wallander told reporters.

The Houthis began attacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea in November, a campaign they say is intended to signal solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

They have vowed to strike Israeli, British and American ships, as well as vessels heading to Israeli ports, disrupting traffic through the vital trade route off Yemen’s coasts.

The Houthi attacks have sent insurance costs spiraling for vessels plying the key Red Sea trade route and prompted many shipping firms to take the far longer passage around the southern tip of Africa instead.

 
The Houthis have gained the spotlight due to this Gaza-Israel conflict, and this is not good for the region. Some external forces are deliberately not allowing peace in the Middle East, whether it's Gaza, Syria, or Yemen.
 
Houthi cruise missile breaches Israeli air defences for first time

Israel on Tuesday night confirmed a Houthi cruise missile had landed near the city of Eilat in the country’s south, the first time the group has successfully breached Israeli air defences.

“A cruise missile coming from the direction of the Red Sea fell in an open area, the target was being monitored by Air Force forces,” said a statement from the Israeli military. “There were no casualties and no damage was caused. The incident is being investigated.”

Although there were no deaths or injuries, it represents a demonstration of long-range attack capability for the Iran-backed militia.

The missile was launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen, about 1,600km from the target.

The longest-range US cruise missile, the AGM-158B-2, has a range of about 1,900km.

Houthi cruise missiles used before the current Gaza war were thought to have a range of about 1,300km, based on their use on targets in Saudi Arabia during Yemen's civil war.

The group's longest-range missile, the Quds-3, has a claimed range of 2,000km and is the only type capable of flying to Eilat.

The Houthis have another long-range missile, the Toufan, but unlike a low-flying cruise weapon that sneaks under radar beams, it flies at high altitude and is more vulnerable to air defences.


www.thenationalnews.com

Houthi cruise missile breaches Israeli air defences for first time

Iran-backed group fired volleys of long-range missiles at Israel from about 1,600km away in Yemen
www.thenationalnews.com www.thenationalnews.com
 
"On March 22, between approximately 4:22 a.m. and 11:10 p.m. (Sanaa time), United States Central Command (CENTCOM) forces successfully engaged and destroyed four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defence," CENTCOM

It reported that during the timeframe, the Houthi group fired four anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen toward the Red Sea.

There were no injuries or damage reported by the US, coalition or commercial ships, it said.

CENTCOM said its forces conducted "self-defence strikes against three Houthi underground storage facilities in Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen."

"Illegal Houthi attacks have killed three mariners, sunk a commercial vessel lawfully transiting the Red Sea, disrupted humanitarian aid bound for Yemen, harmed Middle East economies, and caused environmental damage," it added.

Yemen’s Houthi group has been targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea owned or operated by Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7.

The Red Sea is one of the world's most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently announced the creation of a multinational mission, Operation Prosperity Guardian, to counter Houthi attacks.

Source: Anadolu Agency
 

Houthis attack Chinese-owned tanker in Red Sea, CENTCOM says​


A Chinese-owned oil tanker was attacked off Yemen Saturday by ballistic missiles fired by Houthi militia, who has intensified strikes on Red Sea shipping, the US military said.

The Panamanian-flagged, Chinese-owned and operated Huang Pu issued a distress call but did not request assistance, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on social media platform X early on Sunday.

“No casualties were reported, and the vessel resumed its course,” the statement said.

The Iran-backed militants, who control much of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, have launched dozens of drone missiles and strikes on shipping over the past four months, actions they say are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

CENTCOM and the British Navy’s United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a fire had broken out on board the ship but was extinguished within 30 minutes.

 
I understand their conflict with Israel and USA, but creating conflict with China is quite foolish of them
 
Houthis say six ships attacked in past 72 hours

Houthi militants in Yemen said on Tuesday they had mounted six attacks on ships with drones and missiles in the last 72 hours in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

The Houthis attacked the Maersk Saratoga, APL Detroit, and the Huang Pu after identifying them as either US or British, in addition to Pretty Lady ship which they claim was heading to Israel, the group's military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement.

The Houthis, who control Yemen's capital and most populous areas, have attacked international shipping in the Red Sea since November in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians, drawing US and British retaliatory strikes since last month.

Sarea added that the group also attacked two US destroyers in the Red Sea as well as Israel's city of Eilat.

It was not immediately clear which if any of the targets were struck by the drones or missiles.


tribune.com.pk

Houthis say six ships attacked in past 72 hours | The Express Tribune

Houthis target ships, alleging US/British ties; claim Pretty Lady bound for Israel
tribune.com.pk tribune.com.pk
 

Houthis Warn Saudi Arabia of Retaliation If It Backs USA Attacks​

The Yemen-based Houthi militants renewed their threats against Saudi Arabia, warning it not to support US strikes against the group.

“We have sent a message to Saudi Arabia that it will be a target if it allows American fighter jets to use its territory or airspace in their aggression on Yemen,” Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council, said in an interview with Al-Masirah TV.

US and UK forces have been striking Houthi military facilities since the start of this year to stem the group’s assault on ships in the Red Sea, a vital waterway for global commerce.

Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen, hasn’t joined those air assaults or a US-led naval operation meant to provide commercial ships safe passage through the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The kingdom is trying to reach a peace agreement with the Houthis to end Yemen’s civil war, a conflict that’s raged for most of the past decade but with the sides in a fragile truce since 2022.

The Saudi government led a US-backed military campaign against the Houthis starting in 2015. But it now sees peace in Yemen as key to keeping the wider Gulf region stable and advancing its massive economic transformation plans.

Before the truce, the Houthis regularly struck Saudi territory. In 2019, they claimed an assault that briefly knocked out about half the kingdom’s oil production.

The Houthis, an Islamist organization backed by Iran, have been undeterred by the US and UK airstrikes and continue to attack warships and commercial ships with missiles and drones on a near-daily basis.

They recently said they would expand their campaign to target ships avoiding the Red Sea and sailing around southern Africa instead.

Al-Houthi signaled more tense relations between the Houthis and Saudis by saying the kingdom needed to take more serious steps toward a peace plan.

He stressed negotiations can’t progress until the kingdom agrees to resume the payment of some salaries, electricity and other services in Yemen.

Al-Houthi also confirmed the group had given China and Russia assurances their ships wouldn’t be targeted.

Speaking to Al-Masirah TV, a channel run by the group, he didn’t mention the Huang Pu, a Chinese-owned oil tanker that was struck by a missile in the Red Sea on Saturday. The ship issued a distress call but suffered minimal damage and didn’t need assistance, according to the US military.

The Houthis appear to have wrongly identified several ships with their previous assaults and it’s unclear if they did so again with the Huang Pu.

www.rigzone.com

Houthis Warn Saudi Arabia of Retaliation If It Backs USA Attacks

The Yemen-based Houthi militants renewed their threats against Saudi Arabia.
www.rigzone.com
 

US Navy works to keep sailors’ morale high amid challenging Red Sea Houthi campaign​


Aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower: When most readers come across news about the US military’s role in the Red Sea, the immediate image that comes to mind is fighter jets taking down Iran-backed threats, including anti-ship ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia.

However, little attention is paid to the sacrifices made by the American sailors who have been deployed without a port call for more than five months now.

The difficult task of being at sea for such a long period, without seeing land, can have a significant physical and mental toll, especially when the average age of the 5,000 sailors onboard the Eisenhower aircraft carrier is just above 20 years old.

The taxing role of sailors – some of whom go weeks without seeing sunlight depending on their task on the nuclear-powered ship – does not go unnoticed by senior officers and commanders.

The commander of the Eisenhower aircraft carrier has been creative in lightening the mood and boosting morale. Capt. Christopher “Chowdah” Hill said the senior officers and officials tried to institute a philosophy on the ship called “the Way of the Warrior Sailor.”

“The hypothesis is that if we can improve morale to some degree, we’re going to have better combat success. We’ll also have success in other areas, such as mental health or resilience or doing well on inspections,” Hill said in an interview with Al Arabiya English from the Red Sea.

Some might ask what morale is and how one achieves it. For Hill and his sailors, morale is spirit, pride, and motivation. “We know that people will have bad days, but what’s going to get them through that day to the next day? That’s what we look at,” he said.

Quartermaster-1 Keith Woodcock admitted it was a challenging deployment with many long days, but he was upbeat and said it had been a fulfilling mission.

To boost the morale of the entire ship, Hill and his peers ask leaders to love and value every single person aboard so that every sailor feels loved and valued. “That’s not something you normally hear in a military context, but I think it’s a universal truth,” Hill said.

Hill said everyone must have a mission and a purpose so that each sailor knows their role within that larger mission. So far, “The Way of the Warrior Sailor,” which has been put together in a small pamphlet provided to the sailors, has worked.

“It is certainly working out here in the Red Sea in terms of how we’re operating. We’re very successful in accomplishing the mission every single day,” Hill said.

Other initiatives have included a room for sailors to relax, watch a movie, or even play video games if and when there is a chance for limited time off.

However, it’s not all fun and happy for everyone or every day. The military has invested in mental health professionals on the ship, including a psychologist, several doctors, several chaplains and other enlisted behavioral health technicians.

Last Saturday, the Pentagon announced the death of a sailor who was supporting operations in the Red Sea. The sailor was assigned to the USS Mason, one of four guided-missile destroyers, and part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group. Sources familiar with the incident said the sailor died by suicide and left a note behind. The Pentagon said the sailor died on March 20, 2024, as a result of a non-combat-related incident that is being investigated.

Life on the destroyers, much smaller than an aircraft carrier, can prove even more challenging during such long and demanding deployments.

“Mental health problems are universal in the civilian world; we get that. It can be exacerbated by this sort of environment, whether it be the combat situation we’re in or the fact that we’ve been underway for more than five months,” Hill acknowledged.

Many sailors enlist in the Navy to be able to travel the world during their port calls. “It’s the quintessential Navy sailor experience,” Hill said.

With no port calls and an extended deployment, morale may be an issue for some. That’s where the resiliency safety net is used.

A US official said that Pentagon officials discussed the situation of the sailors deployed to the Red Sea during a meeting on Monday in Washington. Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder declined to comment on potential moves or plans to replace the IKE with a different carrier strike group but said the US was always thinking about how to sustain its presence.

US officials estimate early summer as a realistic timeframe for the strike group to return home to Norfolk. Discussions will take place closer to that time about what kind of presence is needed, depending on the Houthi attacks and the war in Gaza. Whether or not there is a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could impact this decision if the Houthis follow through on their claim that the attacks will stop once a ceasefire is reached.

A US official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that fewer US military ships could present fewer targets for the Iran-backed Houthis. This will all be determined by President Biden and his policy goals.

One of Hill’s tools to lighten the mood onboard has been to take advantage of the Wi-Fi provided to sailors. Commonly referred to as “Chowdah” because of his New England accent, Hill has amassed more than 65,000 followers on X.

Every sailor has long been provided an email address, but not every sailor had access to it. “With Wi-Fi, it’s kind of opened up that aperture of connectedness with folks back home,” Hill said. “The one thing I found is that some of my most successful sailors communicated with their mom or dad every single day. So, I realize that when we’re trying to create morale and a sense of being loved and valued … parents do a better job of that than I do.”

He frequently posts photos of young sailors to allow their friends and families to see them. The sailors often have a chocolate chip cookie in hand, which has become part of Eisenhower’s identity.

Hill calls sailors up to what is known as “the bridge,” where the captain typically sits to observe operations, and writes a caption for their loved ones back home to see.

The idea first came about when a parent of one of the sailors wrote to Hill and said they would love to see a picture of their son. He agreed and posted a photo on social media with a positive comment about the sailor. “And it just opened up the floodgates … with lots of parents requesting to see their sons and daughters. And it went from there,” he said.

What started off as messaging between a parent and their son soon became a message to the world.

“Here’s an ordinary sailor doing extraordinary things every single day, and they’re very young,” Hill said.

Rear Adm. Marc Miguez, the commander of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, highlighted the availability of Wi-Fi. “It’s new for an old [man] like me, but some of that stuff matters to those young sailors, giving them the ability to just shoot a text once a day,” Miguez told Al Arabiya English.

Nevertheless, he has been forced to cut off the Wi-Fi service a few times as commander. “My utmost responsibility here [is to] protect the sailors and the equipment, but the sailors are first [priority],” Miguez said.

Woodcock, the QM-1, said he was excited to return to his family and friends eventually. “But home won’t go anywhere. We have a mission to get done,” he told Al Arabiya English.

 

US military destroys 4 Houthi drones targeting American warship, coalition vessel​


The U.S. military says it has shot down four drones launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels that were targeting an American vessel and a Coalition warship in the Red Sea.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement Thursday that the attack was the second of its kind in the last two days.

"Between 6:00 and 10:56 p.m. (Sanaa time) on March 28, and for the second day in a row, United States Central Command successfully engaged and destroyed four unmanned aerial systems (UAS) launched by Iranian backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen," it added. "These UAS were aimed at a Coalition vessel and a U.S. warship and were engaged in self-defense over the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported to U.S. or coalition ships."

"It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region," CENTCOM also said. "These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels."

The day before, CENTCOM said it "engaged and destroyed four long-range unmanned aerial systems (UAS) launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen" that were "aimed at a U.S. warship and engaged in self-defense over the Red Sea."

The actions by the U.S. military come a week after CENTCOM said it carried out strikes against three Houthi underground storage facilities in Yemen.

The militant group has been launching attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war last October, disrupting shipping in the region.

"Illegal Houthi attacks have killed three mariners, sunk a commercial vessel lawfully transiting the Red Sea, disrupted humanitarian aid bound for Yemen, harmed Middle East economies, and caused environmental damage," according to CENTCOM.

www.foxnews.com

US military destroys 4 Houthi drones targeting American warship, coalition vessel

The U.S. military says it has shot down four drones over the Red Sea that were launched by Yemen’s Houthis and were targeting American and Coalition ships.
www.foxnews.com www.foxnews.com
 
The Middle East peace has been destroyed. We can no longer say that Middle East peace is at stake.
 

Houthi attack kills 11 loyal to government near Taiz in southern Yemen: Official​


A surprise Houthi attack killed 11 fighters loyal to the Yemeni government in the country’s south early on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the southern forces said, in a rare flareup.

Mohammed al-Naqib from the main southern separatist group the Southern Transitional Council (STC) said their fighters were the target of the attack in Lahij province.

Eleven fighters were killed while repelling the Houthis, al-Naqib told AFP.

“The Houthis did not advance a single step,” he added.

A military official confirmed the toll, saying the government loyalists thwarted the Houthi attack, which lasted for five hours.
He said several Houthi fighters were also killed but did not give an overall figure.

Wednesday’s clashes took place near the provincial borders of Taiz, a frontline governorate which is split between Houthi and government control.

The attack comes despite a lull in fighting that has held in Yemen since the expiry of a six-month truce brokered in April 2022.
While hostilities have remained low, sporadic flareups have occasionally gripped parts of the country.

In March last year, at least 10 soldiers were killed in clashes with the Houthi in the oil-producing Marib province, a main flashpoint region.

The Houthis seized control of Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014.

Nine years of war have left hundreds of thousands dead through direct and indirect causes, and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

In December, the UN envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said warring parties had committed to a new ceasefire and agreed to engage in a UN-led peace process to end the war.

But the peace process has stalled in the wake of Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea since November, a campaign the group says is meant to signal solidarity with Palestinians amid the Gaza war.

 

US says it destroyed anti-ship ballistic missile, two drones launched by Houthis​


The US military said on Wednesday that it destroyed one inbound anti-ship ballistic missile and two drones launched by Iranian-backed Houthis from Yemen toward the Red Sea.

US Central Command said no injuries or damage was reported.

“Additionally, during this timeframe CENTCOM forces destroyed a mobile surface-to-air missile system in Houthi controlled territory,” it said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In November, the Houthis initiated a series of drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea, a critical route for global trade, expressing support for Palestinians amid Israel’s conflict with Hamas militants in Gaza.

In response, both US and British military forces have conducted retaliatory strikes against the Houthis. Consequently, the Houthis have declared American and British interests as fair game for their attacks.

 
It all started with the Gaza and Israel war, and now this is getting into war between USA and Houthi.
 

Yemen’s Houthis say they targeted US, British, Israeli ships in past 72 hours​


Yemen’s Houthi militia said on Sunday it had launched rockets and drones at British, US and Israeli ships, the latest in a campaign of attacks on shipping in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war.

The Iran-backed group said it had targeted a British ship and a number of US frigates in the Red Sea, while in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean it had attacked two Israeli vessels heading to Israeli ports.

The operations took place during the last 72 hours, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement.

He did not give further details of the attacks.

Earlier, British security firm Ambrey said it had received information indicating that a vessel was attacked on Sunday in the Gulf of Aden about 102 nautical miles southwest of Mukalla in Yemen.

“Vessels in the vicinity were advised to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity,” the firm said. It did not say who was responsible for the attack or give further details.

Separately, a missile landed near a vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday but there was no damage to the ship or injuries to crew in the incident, 59 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Aden, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said.

“The Master of the vessel reports a missile impacted the water in close proximity to the vessel’s port quarter,” UKMTO said in an advisory note. “No damage to the vessel reported and crew reported safe,” it added.

It did not say who fired the missile or give further details. It was not immediately clear if the attacks reported by the British agencies were the same as the latest incidents claimed by the Houthis.

Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping through the Suez Canal, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa. The United States and Britain have launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

 

Houthi leader accuses Saudi Arabia of removing Quran verses from textbooks to appease Zionists​

The leader of the Ansarallah movement, Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, has accused Saudi authorities of removing certain Quranic verses from the school curriculum in order to appease Zionists.

In a speech on Saturday, Al-Houthi said the Saudis have omitted Quranic verses from textbooks, in particular, verses that speak about crimes committed by Jews or their disobedience to God, claiming they are being censored, reports Iran’s Mehr news agency.

The Yemeni official also stated that the Saudi government has altered or omitted certain Prophetic traditions from educational curricula, describing it as a significant disservice to future generations. He suggested that this action aligns with Riyadh’s strategy to normalise relations with Israel, following in the footsteps of the UAE.

The latter, Al-Houthi added, has been portraying Zionists positively in educational materials to foster a generation that is amicable towards the occupation state.

News of the kingdom removing Quranic verses from textbooks, considered by critics to be “anti-Semitic”, isn’t new. In 2021, the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se), an Israel-based group that monitors school curricula, welcomed similar amendments. At the time, the group’s Chief Executive, Marcus Sheff, said the changes were “quite astonishing.”

The following year, the organisation said in a report that “anti-Semitism” has largely been eliminated from Saudi school textbooks.

www.middleeastmonitor.com

Houthi leader accuses Saudi Arabia of removing Quran verses from textbooks to appease Zionists

The leader of the Ansarallah movement, Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, has accused Saudi authorities of removing certain Quranic verses from the school curriculum in order to appease Zionists. In a speech...
www.middleeastmonitor.com www.middleeastmonitor.com
 

US says destroyed Houthi drones after missile launch off Yemen​


The United States military said Friday that coalition forces “engaged and destroyed” two drones in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen after the Iran-backed group launched a ballistic missile into the Gulf of Aden.

The anti-ship missile launched on Thursday did not lead to any injuries or damage, US Central Command (CENTCOM), said in a statement on X.

Hours later, the US military “successfully engaged and destroyed one unmanned surface vessel (USV) and one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen,” CENTCOM said.

Thursday marked the second consecutive day of attacks by the Houthis following a lull in strikes in recent weeks.

The Houthis have launched dozens of missile and drone strikes targeting shipping since November, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Thursday’s missile attack targeted the Liberia-flagged cargo ship MSC DARWIN VI in the Gulf of Aden, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center, which is run by a Western-led naval coalition.

“The vessel was not hit,” the organization said Friday.

The Houthis claimed the strike, alleging that the ship was Israeli-owned.

“The operation has achieved its objectives successfully,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on X on Thursday, without providing evidence.

Saree also said the Houthis “fired a number of ballistic and winged missiles” toward Israel.

The Houthis, who control much of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, are part of an “axis of resistance” of Iran allies and proxies targeting Israel in protest at its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

On Wednesday, the Houthis attempted an attack on MV Yorktown, a US-flagged shipping vessel, CENTCOM said.

The Houthi attacks have drawn reprisal strikes from the United States and Britain since January as well as the deployment of Western naval forces to counter strikes on ships plying the busy commercial routes.

 
Yemen’s Houthis damage oil tanker, shoot down US drone

Yemen’s Houthis have damaged an oil tanker and downed another MQ-9 Reaper drone of the United States as they promise more attacks in opposition to Israel’s war on Gaza.

The Iran-aligned group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in his latest televised video address early on Saturday that “British oil ship Andromeda Star” was targeted in the Red Sea with naval missiles and was directly hit.

The US military confirmed that the group fired three antiship ballistic missiles into the Red Sea at multiple targets and damaged MV Andromeda Star. The vessel was recently sold to a company registered in the Seychelles, Reuters reported.

“MV Andromeda Star reports minor damage, but is continuing its voyage,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X, adding there were no injuries or damage reported by the maritime military coalition led by the US that is deployed in the area to counter attacks from Yemen.

The Houthi military spokesman also said its air defence forces in Yemen also shot down an MQ-9 Reaper attack drone of the US military with a missile in the airspace of the Saada governorate “while it was carrying out hostile missions”.

The US military did not comment on the drone, but US broadcaster CBS News confirmed that an MQ-9, which costs about $30m, “crashed” inside Yemen early on Friday and said an investigation is under way.

This is the third US attack drone shot down by the Houthis since the start of the war on Gaza, with the first brought down in November, followed by another in February.

The Yemeni group made no comments about further attacks on vessels in its nearby waterways, but the US military said the anti-ship missiles fired by the Houthis also targeted MV MAISHA, an Antigua/Barbados-flagged, Liberia-operated vessel. It reported no damage.



www.aljazeera.com

Yemen’s Houthis damage oil tanker, shoot down US drone

MV Andromeda Star suffers damage and MQ-9 Reaper drone shot down in latest escalation by the Houthis.
www.aljazeera.com www.aljazeera.com
 

Italian navy shoots down Houthi drone in the Red Sea​

An Italian navy ship shot down a drone fired by Yemen’s Houthi group that was targeting a European cargo, the Italian defence ministry said.

The drone was intercepted “in the late morning” near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, the ministry said. It was taken down 5km (3.1 miles) from the cargo ship.

The cargo was targeted by other drones and missiles, with one missile exploding in water near it, causing only superficial damage, the ministry said.

The Italian “Fasan” frigate and the cargo it was escorting are proceeding southwards on their planned route to exit from the Red Sea, the statement added.

Houthi rebels have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against international commercial shipping in the area, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel’s war on Gaza.

Source: Al Jazeera
 

Yemen’s Houthis say to target ships heading to Israeli ports in any reachable areas​


Yemen’s Houthis will target ships heading to Israeli ports in any reachable area, the military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech on Friday.

“We will target any ships heading to Israeli ports in the Mediterranean Sea in any area we are able to reach,” he said.

 
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