The United States carried out a new attack early Saturday morning against Houthi forces in Yemen, after President Joe Biden’s administration vowed to protect shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthi television channel, al-Masirah, reports attacks on at least one site in the Yemeni capital Sanaa.
Published on: 01/13/2024 – 07:54
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The US military carried out a new attack on Saturday 13 January against sites belonging to Houthi rebels in Yemen, after the latter increased their threats against international shipping traffic in the Red Sea.
On Saturday, the Houthi channel, al-Masirah, reported attacks on at least one site in the capital Sanaa. “The American-British enemy targets the capital Sanaa with a [certain] number of raids,” al-Masirah reported on his X (formerly Twitter) account, citing his correspondent in the city.
The US Central Military Command (Centcom) confirmed an American strike at around 3.45am local time on Saturday (0045 GMT) “against a radar site in Yemen”. This attack was carried out by the destroyer USS Carney using Tomahawk missiles.
In the context of the war between Israel and Hamas, tension in the Red Sea has increased in recent weeks with Houthi attacks against maritime traffic, in solidarity with the Gaza Strip.
“Defensive” action to protect international trade
Last Friday, American and British bombing targeted Houthi-held military sites in Sanaa and the governorates of Hodeida (west), Taiz (south), Hajjah (northwest) and Saada (north).
Joe Biden spoke of an operation completed “successfully”, evoking a “defensive” action aimed at protecting international trade in particular.
Read also: The Houthis, the Yemeni group that challenges the United States in the Red Sea
Tensions between the Houthis and the United States are at an all-time high, reinforcing fears of a regional spillover from the war in Gaza, triggered by the unprecedented attack carried out by the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas on Israeli soil on October 7.
The Houthi movement is part of the “resistance axis” established by Iran, which brings together groups hostile to Israel in the region, particularly Lebanese Hezbollah and armed groups in Iraq and Syria.
American-British interests, “legitimate objectives” for the Houthis
US President Joe Biden had threatened to launch further attacks against Houthi positions if the latter did not stop firing in the Red Sea. In response, the Houthi rebels threatened to avenge the attacks carried out by the United States and the United Kingdom in Yemen on Friday by attacking the interests of these two countries, now considered “legitimate targets”.
Read also: Houthi attacks in the Red Sea: what room for maneuver for the international coalition?
However, after the British and American attacks on Friday, the Houthis fired “at least one missile” but it did not hit any ships, the US military indicated before the attack on Saturday morning.
At the UN, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had previously called on “all interested parties to avoid escalation […] in the interests of peace and stability in the Red Sea and the entire region,” said spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
With AFP
2024-01-13 06:54:03
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