IIn the Red Sea, the confrontation with the Yemeni Houthi rebels has intensified. A deadly battle broke out on Sunday when Houthi boats attacked and attempted to board the Maersk Hangzhou cargo ship. According to the American military, Marine attack helicopters came to the aid of the beleaguered freighter and were fired upon by the Houthi fighters. The helicopters returned fire “in self-defense,” sinking three of four of the attacking boats and killing their crew. The shipping company Maersk announced on Monday that it would suspend its traffic through the Red Sea for 48 hours.
The Houthis reported ten deaths in their own ranks and made new threats to their enemies. “The American enemy must face the consequences of this crime,” said the military spokesman for the movement loyal to Iran. “Yemen continues to fulfill its religious, moral and humanitarian obligations in support of the oppressed in Palestine and Gaza.”
New self-confidence for a militia
His words not only show that the Houthis are driven by a deeply rooted anti-American and anti-Israel ideology. They also show the self-confidence of the former rebel movement from marginalized northern Yemen, which has ruled the capital Sanaa unchallenged for years, has asserted itself against a campaign led by its powerful neighbor Saudi Arabia and now claims to speak for the whole of Yemen . Now the Houthis are challenging Washington.
In response to the latest incident, the White House reiterated that it did not want the conflict to escalate, but that it was not ruling anything out and was taking these incidents seriously. Even before Sunday's battle, there had been talk in Washington about a military counterattack against Houthi military facilities. In the Pentagon, diplomats say, calls for a military strike are becoming louder and louder.
American pressure on Iran, which supports the Houthis, is also increasing. Almost two weeks ago, the American government released intelligence information to the public that revealed, among other things, that the Houthis were receiving targeted information about merchant shipping from Tehran. Yemeni observers doubt that the Houthis are willing recipients of orders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. But they have armed their Yemeni allies with weapons that enable them to threaten merchant shipping off the Yemeni coast.
London and Washington prepare warning to Houthi
Press reports on Monday suggest that a military strike against the Houthis could be getting closer, according to which Great Britain is also considering air strikes against the Houthis. London and Washington are preparing a joint statement to send a final warning to the Yemeni rebel movement. On Saturday, America's Middle East naval commander, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, said there was no sign the Houthis were ceasing their “ruthless” attacks on merchant ships despite a growing American-led naval coalition.
Arab participation in this coalition is, however, limited. Bahrain is the only Arab country taking part. Not even the Egyptian regime, which is struggling for any revenue and whose income from the Suez Canal is suffering due to the Houthi attacks, has joined. It seems as if the region is trying to avoid being seen as an ally of Israel, while at the same time the Houthis celebrate themselves as champions of the Palestinian cause.
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