(ConservativeJournal.org) – Yemeni Houthis fired several anti-ship missiles at a cargo ship traversing the Red Sea on February 6, despite dozens of strikes in Yemen by U.K. and U.S. forces designed to disable or dissuade the attackers over the weekend.
U.S. military sources report ongoing attacks against commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden, part of the Red Sea, off the coast of Yemen. They reported that the Houthis fired a half dozen anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) attempting to hit the MV Star Nasia, a Greek cargo vessel. They also reported the USS Laboon shot down at least one of the missiles.
All the missiles failed to cause damage to the ships; none of them actually hit their targets.
Houthis have vowed to continue to attack cargo vessels they perceive as contributing to the Israeli war effort in Gaza.
A Houthi negotiator helping to solidify peace between Yemen and Saudi Arabia said the attacks won’t have an impact on their peace negotiations. That man, Mohammed Abdulsalam, additionally blamed the Israeli war effort on inflaming tensions in the region. He suggested the Houthi attacks are designed to pressure the U.S. and its allies into demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.
The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution demanding an end to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea on Wednesday, January 10. China and Russia notably abstained from the vote, allowing it to pass. The resolution also demanded the release of Galaxy Leader and its 25-man crew. The ship is a Japanese vessel with Israeli connections that was commandeered in November by the Houthis.
Abdulsalam called the resolution “a political game,” and flipped the script, suggesting the U.S. was in violation of international law.
The U.S. has repeatedly defended its strikes in Yemen suggesting they were proportional and necessary to deter or disable future strikes. A Department of Defense statement on the strikes suggested they targeted weapons facilities, radars, and air defense systems.
Copyright 2024, ConservativeJournal.org
