From a protest in Sana'a against US attacks against Houthi positions (Anatolia)

A Yemeni shipping source said on Tuesday that Ansar Allah forces targeted a new ship in the Red Sea, while the US military said it had seized Iranian weapons destined for the Houthi group.

Reuters quoted the British Maritime Trade Authority as saying that it had received a report on an incident 100 nautical miles northwest of Salif near the Yemeni city of Hodeidah, while the British Telegraph newspaper quoted a source on Tuesday that the ship targeted by the Houthis "Greek was sailing from Vietnam to Israel," noting that it was free of goods.

Japanese shipping company NYK also announced that it was temporarily suspending Red Sea navigation from today, and that it had directed its nearby ships there to wait in safe waters and consider the possibility of changing their course.

On the other hand, the US Central Command "CENTCOM" announced today that it had seized advanced Iranian conventional weapons, which it said were destined for the Houthis, noting that investigations revealed that the Houthis used weapons such as those seized to threaten navigation in the Red Sea and that "Iran continues to ship lethal aid to the group."

De-escalation

For his part, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on Tuesday that the situation in the Red Sea is very dangerous, and that the military option will not solve the current crisis there, while Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan expressed concern about regional security and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, noting that the priority is to calm and reduce escalation.

For his part, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that the Yemenis "cut off Israel's vital arteries and did not fear the threats of the United States," describing what the Houthis are doing in support of Palestine as "a great work that deserves praise and appreciation."

This comes in the wake of US-British attacks on Houthi sites in Yemen, after the United States earlier announced the formation of a multinational coalition, as part of the so-called "Operation Guardian of Prosperity", and the Houthi group responded that this alliance will not stop its operations in the Red Sea, which it describes as aimed at supporting the Palestinian people in the face of the Israeli aggression on Gaza.

Source : Al Jazeera + Agencies