AL-MUKALLA, Yemen
Yemen’s Houthi militia claimed responsibility for six drone and missile attacks against Israel, as well as US and UK military and commercial ships, in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Houthi military spokesman
Yahya Sarea said on Tuesday that their naval and missile forces fired missiles
at the Maersk Saratoga, APL Detroit, Huang Pu, and Pretty Lady ships while
cruising in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden over the last 72 hours, claiming
that the first and second ships were American and the third and fourth British.
Sarea also claimed to have
launched drones at two US Navy warships in the Red Sea and ballistic missiles
at targets in the Israeli city of Eilat, promising to continue their assaults
on ships until Israel breaks its blockade on the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Despite the Houthis’
assertions that the merchant vessel Huang Pu is British, the US Central Command
said it is a Chinese-owned and operated oil tanker sailing under the Panamanian
flag, and the Houthis launched five ballistic missiles at it when it was in the
Red Sea.
During the last five months,
the Houthis have launched hundreds of missiles and drones against international
commercial and navy ships in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait, and Gulf of
Aden, claiming that their operations are in support of the Palestinian people.
On Sunday, the Houthis claimed
that they informed Russia and China that their ships would not be targeted
while traveling the Red Sea, and that they would only target Israeli-linked and
Israel-bound ships, as well as UK and US ships.
Elisabeth Kendall, a Middle
East expert and mistress of Cambridge University’s Girton College, told Arab
News that the Houthi assault on the Chinese ships might be the result of
outdated or incorrect information, or that they believe the US and UK move commodities
via a third party.
“It is also likely that the
Houthis believe some UK or US companies are transferring their shipping assets
to third parties as a cover strategy to avoid being targeted,” she said.
Kendall added that the Houthis
assured Russia and China to send a message that they do not constitute a danger
to global maritime navigation and are exclusively targeting Israel and its
allies.
“The Houthis wish to
demonstrate that their attacks are not a global problem but are targeted to
those deemed to be Israel’s major allies,” she said.
Meanwhile, dozens of Yemeni
human rights advocates, journalists, members of parliament, and others have
signed a petition urging the Iran-backed Houthis to launch an inquiry into the
death of a teacher within their Sanaa prison facility.
Yemenis said that Sabri
Al-Hakimi, a prominent educationalist at the Ministry of Education, died on
Monday in a notorious jail for Houthi Security and Intelligence authorities,
six months after his kidnapping.
“We demand that the Sanaa
authorities conduct a transparent inquiry into the circumstances of Sabri
Al-Hakimi’s death at the Security and Intelligence jail in Sanaa, as well as to
have his body examined by a coroner to assist in ascertaining the causes of
death,” the petition said.
The Houthis have not formally
confirmed Al-Hakimi’s death or explained why he was taken, and he has not been
tried.
Al-Hakimi is one of scores of
Yemenis who have perished in Houthi prison facilities, mostly in Sanaa.
Last month, Zaydoun Zaid Jahaf died in Sanaa’s Houthi Political Security jail.
In October, Save the Children
halted operations in a Houthi-controlled territory after one of its employees
died in Houthi custody.
Ten days later, the organization resumed operations after the Houthis refused
its request for an inquiry into the worker’s death.
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