Houthis vow to step up attacks during Ramadan

Tension continues in the Red Sea, one of the world's most important trade routes. This morning, the US Central Command denounced a new attack by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthis. According to CENTCOM, Yemeni rebels launched a short-range ballistic missile towards the destroyer USS Laboon. However, the Houthis failed to hit the ship, so no injuries or damage were reported.   

"US Central Command and a coalition ship successfully engaged and destroyed two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen," CENTCOM added in a statement.

This incident comes just a day after the Houthis launched missiles at a Liberian-flagged ship registered in Singapore, although Yemeni rebels described it as a "US" vessel. 

The Houthis have vowed to intensify their attacks during the month of Ramadan "in solidarity with the Palestinians and in response to the war in Gaza". The Tehran-affiliated Yemeni militia has since November launched attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea, forcing many companies to change their shipping routes and destabilising world trade. It has also fired missiles at the Israeli city of Eilat on the Red Sea. 

March 12 Red Sea Update

Between 2:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) on March 12, Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired one close-range ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon in the Red Sea. The missile did not impact the vessel and there were… pic.twitter.com/j5zbl159EG

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 13, 2024

Recently, Houthi militia leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi revealed that the group has launched more than 400 drones and missiles against more than 60 ships since the start of its operations, endangering one of the world's most important shipping routes, but also sparking fears of a regional expansion of the Gaza war.  

In response to these attacks, and with the aim of resuming maritime transit in the area, the US and UK have attacked several Houthi targets, which they have designated as a terrorist group. Earlier this week CENTCOM announced six self-defence strikes in Houthi-controlled areas that destroyed an unmanned undersea vessel and 18 anti-ship missiles, which CENTCOM said posed an imminent threat to merchant ships and US Navy vessels in the region.