The United States attacks and the Houthi rebels respond

Escalating tensions in the Red Sea led to a new episode on Sunday with accusations of exchanges of fire between Yemen's Shiite Houthi rebels and the United States Naval Central Command (CENTCOM) against drones or ships sailing in the area.

Today, Yemeni militants accused the United States of missile bombing one of the Shiite movement’s drones, while it was carrying out a reconnaissance mission over the Red Sea, and that it exploded near a ship owned by Gabon, leaving no one harmed.

Meanwhile, the United States did not comment on the matter, but earlier in the day it reported the launch of two anti-ship missiles towards maritime trade routes in the southern Red Sea from areas controlled by the Houthis, as well as drone attacks on oil tankers. Military ships that were not damaged.

In addition to this geopolitical council is the European Union Council, which announced today its intention to continue working on “modalities” to contribute to freedom of navigation in the region for which the United States announced at the beginning of last week the establishment of a zone. International coalition.

Accusations and shootouts

The spokesman for the Houthi group in Yemen, Muhammad Abdul Salam, said on his website that he “carried out reconnaissance work in the Red Sea.”

According to Abdel Salam, “One of the missiles exploded near a ship heading to the southern Red Sea belonging to the Republic of Gabon, coming from Russian ports.”

Read: America announces a military coalition of 10 countries in the Red Sea to confront Houthi attacks

So far, the United States has not issued any statement on the matter, but this morning US Central Command reported that on Saturday it detected the launch of “two Houthi anti-ship missiles” towards the sea transit area, without “any reports from the ships.” “Ballistic missile impact.”

This report coincided with the report published by the British Navy yesterday afternoon, which warned of two new “incidents” near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, near the Yemeni ports of Saleef and Hodeidah, when oil tankers were sailing, one of them with the tanker. The Norwegian flag and another carrying the Indian flag were not damaged.

Alliances for security

The Houthis' position and actions against ships in the Red Sea escalated after the United States announced early last week the establishment of a multinational coalition to protect maritime navigation and international trade in the region.

On 20 December, the ambassadors of the 27 countries, meeting in an unusual way in the Political and Security Committee of the Council of the European Union, agreed to contribute, through the EU Delegation to the Community of Atalanta, to the US Operation Prosperity Sentinel. He was promoted to maintaining security in the Red Sea.

“Work will continue in the Council regarding the modalities for the EU and its member states to contribute to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,” community sources told EFE.

But Spain clarified on Saturday that what it is defending is the establishment of a specific mission in the Red Sea “with its own scope, means and objectives” to protect commercial maritime transport from Houthi attacks, instead of working through the Atalanta mission. It was promoted by the European Union in 2008 to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean waters off the coast of Somalia.

With information from Evie.

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