By Ephrat Livni and Ismaeel Naar
The U.S. Central Command said last Friday that it struck Houthi targets in Yemen, including “Houthi offensive military capabilities,” in an effort to secure international waterways.
The Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen has been striking ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Hamas, another Iranian-backed militia, since last year, disrupting commercial shipping. Central Command said on social media that it struck 15 targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
“These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition and merchant vessels,” the post said.
The Houthi-affiliated al-Masirah TV reported four strikes on Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, seven on the port city of Hodeida and at least one strike on Dhamar, south of the capital.
The attack on Sanaa came as the Houthis and their supporters were holding their weekly “million-man march” protest, which last week was focused on Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike near Beirut Sept. 27.
The Houthi-run Yemen News Agency, SABA, reported that Hashem Sharaf al-Din, a Houthi official, said he considered the strikes “a desperate attempt” to intimidate the Yemeni people and he vowed not to be deterred by them.
But Houthi attacks on commercial vessels have increasingly drawn the ire of international actors and condemnation by diplomats. The Red Sea is a key trade route between Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Since the strikes began, many vessels have been forced to reroute. Those that have not have sometimes paid severe consequences.
Ships have been hit and sustained damage, and some sailors have been abducted and held captive for many months, while others have died or been injured in the Houthi attacks. In August, a Houthi strike on a Greek oil tanker threatened to devolve into an environmental disaster as the burning ship remained at sea for weeks, with militia members threatening tugboats attempting to salvage the vessel. The ship was towed to safety in mid-September.
The attacks on commercial shipping have been met with counter strikes by the United States military and British troops. Between January and May, the two countries’ militaries conducted at least five joint strikes against the Houthis in response to the attacks on shipping.
U.S. Central Command regularly announces actions against the militant group. In August, after the Houthis said they targeted American warships, the U.S. military struck back. Last week, the Houthis made a similar claim, and now appear to have drawn the same response.
The latest strikes by the United States come as tensions in the Middle East have risen significantly following Israel’s killing of Nasrallah, its expanded operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon and an escalating conflict with Iran, which launched a salvo of about 200 missiles at Israel Tuesday in retaliation for the assassinations of some of its proxy groups’ leaders.
On Sept. 29, the Israeli military also struck in Yemen in response to several recent Houthi missile strikes targeting Israel.
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