Aden, Yemen – Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have carried out their first attack in the Red Sea in six days, firing at an Iran-bound grain cargo ship, the US military has said, in a strike that raises questions about the group’s targeting.
The lull in attacks on ships has led to claims that US and UK strikes against the group have successfully neutralized its capabilities or that potential targets have been deterred from entering the Red Sea. The Houthis claim that the attacks are linked to Israel, but the UK defense secretary has accused them of being “opportunist pirates.”
The US central command (Centcom) reported that on February 12, Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired two missiles at a Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged cargo vessel transiting the Red Sea carrying corn from Brazil. The ship reported being seaworthy with minor damage and no injuries to the crew. The incident is notable as the ship’s destination was Bandar Iman Khomeini in Iran.
The Houthi leader, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, claimed in a televised speech last week that Israeli ships had stopped entering the Red Sea, but the US navy estimated that about 100 ships are still operating in the waterway, some of which the Houthis may see as targets.
The US said it had hit Houthi positions on four straight days, marking one of the most intense periods of strikes on the group since the campaign began on 11 January. The US ambassador to Yemen has also warned that the US classification of the Houthis as a specially designated global terrorist group would come into force on 16 February if the attacks did not stop.
Djibouti, situated opposite Yemen across the Red Sea and a strong opponent of Israel’s attacks in Gaza, rejected a US plan to install missile launchers in the country to target Yemen. The US was allowed to deploy only the MIM-104 Patriot air defense system on its territory to protect American military installations from Yemen, and Djibouti would not condemn the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab strait, considering them a “legitimate relief for the Palestinians.”