Edited by Deepali Verma
The United States put out an additional strike against Yemen’s Houthi forces on January 12, according to the two officials who informed Reuters. President Joe Biden’s administration has vowed to guard shipping in the Red Sea. The recent strike, which the U.S. officials marked as a targeted radar site, came a day after dozens of U.S. and British strikes on the Iran-backed group’s facilities.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity and chose to not provide further details. The U.S. military has made use of radar infrastructure to halt Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
The Houthi movement’s television channel Al-Masirah, molding the narrative, reported that the United States and Britain were aiming to hit the Yemeni capital Sanaa with raids.
As Houthi leaders swore retaliation, Biden issued a warning on January 12 that he would order more strikes if they do not put a stop to their attacks on merchant and military vessels in one of the world’s most economically vital waterways.
Witnesses confirmed the explosions on early January 12, Yemen time, at the military bases near airports in the capital Sanaa and Yemen’s third city Taiz that houses a naval base at Yemen’s main Red Sea port Hodeidah and military sites in the coastal Hajjah governorate.
John Kirby, a White House spokesperson revealed that the strikes had targeted the Houthis’ ability to store, launch and guide missiles or drones that the group had used in recent months to threaten Red Sea shipping. Additionally, the Pentagon said that the collaborative U.S.-British assault has lessened the Houthis’ capacity to launch new attacks. The U.S. military said 60 targets in 28 sites were hit.
The Houthis, in control of most of Yemen for nearly a decade, unveiled the killing of the five fighters but they vowed to continue their attacks on regional shipping.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations information hub has received reports of a missile landing in the sea around 500 meters (1,600 feet) from a ship that is about 90 nautical miles southeast of the Yemeni port of Aden which has been identified as a Panama-flagged tanker carrying Russian oil.
Drone footage on the Houthis’ al-Masirah TV covered hundreds of thousands of people in Sanaa blaring slogans denouncing Israel and the United States such as “your strikes on Yemen are terrorism” and “United States is the Devil”.
Biden and his administration dispelled the Houthis from a State Department list of “foreign terrorist organizations” in 2021 and when asked by reporters if he felt the term “terrorist” described the movement now, he responded in affirmative.
OIL PRICE JUMPS
The price of Brent crude oil collected more than $2 on January 12 over the concern of supplies being disrupted, but later gave up close to half its gain.
Biden remarked on January 12 he was “very concerned” about the impact of war in the Middle East on oil prices. Data from commercial ship-tracking revealed that at least nine oil tankers stopped or diverted from the Red Sea.
The strikes come after months of raids by Houthi fighters, who have been on board the ships they claimed were Israeli or heading for Israel. However, a lot of these vessels had no known connection to Israel.
The United States along with some allies sanctioned a naval task force in December and recent days saw growing escalation. On January 9, the United States and Britain shot down 21 missiles and drones. Notably though, not all major U.S. allies chose to back the strikes inside Yemen.
The Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Bahrain lent a hand with logistical and intelligence support, while Germany, Denmark, New Zealand and South Korea signed a joint statement defending the attacks and warning of further action. Additionally, Italy, Spain and France chose neither sign nor partake participation, fearing a wider escalation.
A senior U.S. official had accused Tehran of supplying the Yemeni group with military capabilities and intelligence to carry out the attacks.
Houthi attacks have resulted in forcing the commercial ships to take a longer, costlier route around Africa, creating fears of a new bout of inflation and supply chain disruption. Container shipping rates for key global routes have soared this week.
