Houthis from Yemen: a new American ship struck without causing damage

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility early Friday for strikes on a US merchant ship sailing in the Gulf of Aden. “The Navy of the Yemeni Armed Forces conducted a targeted operation against the US ship Chem Ranger in the Gulf of Aden using several anti-ship missiles, some of which hit the target,” the report said.

The US Middle East Command (Centcom) confirmed that the Houthis did attack the Chem Ranger merchant ship last night with “two missiles”, but did not reach it, as the rebels claim. The crew “saw the missiles hit the water near the ship” and “there were no reports of injuries or damage,” added Centcom, which said Chem Ranger continued on its route. For its part, the British maritime safety agency UKMTO reported an incident 85 nautical miles southeast of the city of Aden with an explosion 800 meters from the ship and specified that a drone was flying nearby.

According to the specialized website Marine Traffic, Chem Ranger is an American tanker flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, which has been off the coast of Yemen in recent days. He is traveling from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to Kuwait.

The Genco Picardie was attacked in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday evening, causing a fire to break out on board the Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship. The Indian Navy diverted one of its warships to rescue 22 crew members, including nine Indians. The fire has been extinguished.

Rising tensions in the Red Sea

Tensions have been rising in this part of the Indian Ocean since the Houthis, a pro-Iranian group, decided to support the Gaza Strip and threatened maritime traffic on the commercial highway leading to the Suez Canal. On Thursday, the United States carried out new strikes against anti-ship missiles that the Houthis were preparing to launch “immediately,” according to Washington, in the Red Sea. This is the fifth time the Pentagon has struck Houthi targets in Yemen.

“A response to American and British attacks is inevitable and any further aggression will be punished,” the Houthis say, saying they are only targeting ships heading to Israel “until there is a ceasefire and the siege is lifted.” Gases.” »

In an interview with the Russian daily Izvestia published this Friday, a member of the jihadist militia’s political leadership, Mohammed al-Bukhait, criticized the “madness and idiocy of the United States and the United Kingdom” for “playing against them.” . “From now on, not a single one of their ships will be able to cross one of the main trade routes of the world,” he claims, assuring that “other countries, including China and Russia,” are not in danger: “we are even ready to ensure the safe passage of their ships through the Red Sea.”

In Moscow, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry called on the United States to stop “aggression” against Yemen. “The more the Americans and British bomb, the less the Houthis will want to talk,” said Sergei Lavrov.

As the Houthis moved to war against Israel, the United States called for an international coalition to end the aggression that threatens international trade. Denmark, home to the world’s second-largest shipping company Maersk, announced Thursday it was joining. According to Emmanuel Macron, France decided not to participate “to avoid any escalation” in the region.