US launches third strike against Yemen’s Houthis after missile hits vessel in Red Sea

Red Sea crisis: The United States launched a third attack against Yemen-based Houthi rebels on Tuesday by hitting anti-ship missiles in a Houthi-controlled part of the country after the Iran-backed group struck a Greek-owned vessel in the Red Sea. The Greek-owned vessel, the Zografia, was sailing from Vietnam to Israel with 24 crew on board and was out of cargo when attacked, according to sources.

The White House said additional US strikes on Tuesday took out ballistic missiles Houthis were ready to launch. “We’re not looking to expand this. The Houthis have a choice to make and they still have time to make the right choice, which is to stop these reckless attacks,” White House spokesperson John Kirby said.

Attacks by the Houthis on ships in the area since November have affected international trade and alarmed major powers. The Iran-aligned Houthi group has threatened to expand the range of targets of its attacks in the Red Sea – which it says are a response to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza – to include US ships in response to American and British strikes on its sites in Yemen. 

The latest exchange of missile attacks suggests there has been no let-up in Houthi attacks on shipping in the region, despite the massive US and British assault on the group Friday, bombing more than 60 targets in 28 locations. Western countries have demanded Houthis for several weeks to cease their attacks and follow international norm.

France did not join US strikes on Yemen

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country decided not to join US strikes on Houthis to avoid an escalation in Middle East tensions. He said French warships in the zone will continue to help defend shipping corridors and freedom of navigation and the French Navy has intercepted several missiles and drones in recent weeks targeting commercial vessels.

“France decided not to join a coalition that carried out preventive strikes against others on their soil. Why? Because we have a posture that seeks to avoid any escalation. … It’s a diplomatic issue, because we are vigilant and attentive about balance in the region,’’ he said at a news conference.

Macron called for a ceasefire in Gaza and stressed France’s efforts to mediate in the region’s conflicts, including an unprecedented deal negotiated along with Qatar to deliver medicines Wednesday to hostages held by Hamas. He further said 41 French civilians were killed in the Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, and four French people are being held captives in Gaza.

Escalating tensions in Middle East

The attacks by the US and Houthis follow after the group struck a US-owned ship on Monday near Yemen’s coast in the Gulf of Aden. The attack against the MV Gibraltar Eagle ship marked the first time that the Houthis have successfully struck a US-owned or operated ship. The US Central Command said that the vessel, a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier owned and operated by the US-based Eagle Bulk, suffered no injuries or any significant damage.

The attacks have further sparked concerns over the spread of the Israel-Hamas war as the Yemen-based rebels threatened retaliation for an attack by America and allied countries after weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis have targeted that crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe over the Israel-Hamas war, attacks that threaten to widen that conflict into a regional conflagration. Ship-tracking data on Monday showed at least 15 tankers altering course in response to the escalating conflict.

Additionally, the attacks have disrupted international shipping, causing some companies to suspend transits through the Red Sea and use the much longer and costlier journey through Africa. The Houthis say their attacks aim to end the pounding Israeli air-and-ground offensive targeting the Gaza Strip, but the links to the ships targeted in the rebel assaults have grown more tenuous as the attacks continue.

However, Egypt’s Suez Canal authority played down any disruption, saying in a statement that the suspension of transit through the canal by companies was “temporary” and that traffic through the canal was “going as per normal”. This came after British oil major Shell suspended all shipments through the Red Sea indefinitely and Russian tanker group Sovcomflot is also considering alternatives to the crisis.

The existing US-led coalition meant to safeguard commercial traffic in the Red Sea is weak because regional powerhouses Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have not taken part, Yemen’s vice president said on Tuesday. “This Bab al-Mandab corridor is of interest to the whole world and to the region, so regional intervention is key,” Aidarous al-Zubaidi told Reuters in an interview, referring to the narrow strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

(with inputs from Reuters, AP)

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