Ahmed Shaaban (Cairo, agencies)
A US defense official announced that attacks from areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis hit two ships flying the Liberian flag in the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea yesterday, highlighting the threat to ships in shipping lanes targeted by the Houthi group.
The official said that a projectile believed to be a drone hit one of the two ships, the “Al-Jasra” owned by a German company, which led to a fire, but no casualties were reported, adding that two ballistic missiles were launched in the second attack, one of which hit a ship, causing a fire that the crew was working on. Put it out.
He added that a US Navy destroyer was on its way to assist the ship, without mentioning the name of the ship.
A spokesman for Hapag Lloyd, which owns the Al Jasra ship, said that the ship was attacked while sailing near the Yemeni coast, adding that “Hapag Lloyd will take additional measures to ensure the safety of our crews.”
There were reports of at least two other incidents in the area yesterday.
For his part, the military spokesman for the Houthi group in Yemen confirmed that the group launched missile attacks on two ships.
The British maritime security company Ambrey stated that a container ship flying the Liberian flag, the MSC Alania, received an order from the Houthi group in a small boat to change its course towards Yemen, adding that the ship resorted to maneuvering.
An MSC spokesman said the ship had not been attacked and declined to comment further.
In another incident, Embry reported that a container ship owned by a Swiss company and flying a Liberian flag, the Platium 3, was targeted while sailing north about 23 miles southwest of Mocha.
An MSC spokesman declined to comment when contacted about the report.
Ambre said that the Platium 3 ship, which was on its way to Saudi Arabia, received the same warning as the Alanya ship.
Late yesterday evening, the Houthis claimed responsibility for carrying out a military operation against a Maersk container ship and directly hitting it with a drone. The Danish shipping company denied the matter and said that the ship was not hit.
Yesterday, Tim Lenderking, the US special envoy to Yemen, said that Washington wants to form a naval coalition “on the broadest possible scale” to protect ships in the Red Sea and send a signal to the Houthis that attacks will not be tolerated.
Yemeni political experts and analysts called on the international community, especially the Security Council, to take more decisive measures against the leaders of the Houthi group involved in crimes and violations against the Yemeni people, the region, and the world, and not be satisfied with just extending sanctions.
Yemeni political analyst Mahmoud Al-Taher believes that the list of UN sanctions recently issued against Houthi leaders involved in actions that threaten international peace and security should have included other names from the Houthi group involved in serious crimes and violations against the Yemeni people.
Al-Taher explained to Al-Ittihad that the group’s violations threaten Yemeni, regional and international stability, through its crimes of ship piracy and blocking of shipping routes, stressing the need for there to be another way to deal with Al-Houthi by the international community besides extending sanctions, by assisting the legitimate government. By military methods.
The UN Security Council voted in the middle of last month in favor of extending the sanctions imposed on Houthi leaders involved in actions that threaten peace, security and stability in Yemen.
For his part, the head of the Yemen and Gulf Center, Walid Al-Abara, said that the UN Security Council believes that the sanctions on the Houthi leaders in Yemen should be extended as they are an effective weapon to put pressure on these leaders at the level of the organizational, security and military structure, especially since many of them are involved in committing war crimes. And crimes against humanity.
Al-Abara explained, in a statement to Al-Ittihad, that despite the peace negotiations, the Houthis continue to escalate militarily on the borders and on a number of internal fighting fronts, and obstruct international shipping traffic, which confirms that the group is not serious about the peace process.
In turn, the former Yemeni Minister of Endowments, Judge Dr. Ahmed Attiya, told Al-Ittihad that the group represents a great danger to Yemen, the region and the world, and the UN Security Council must take immediate measures to stop the Houthi violations and crimes, especially after the attack on international shipping lines.
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