A French ship destroyed 3 ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis yesterday, Thursday (Anatolia)

The US Army said yesterday, Thursday, that it had destroyed two anti-ship ballistic missiles and a drone boat launched by the Houthis from Yemen, while the Pentagon confirmed that the Houthis had carried out more than 50 naval attacks, and that they needed more international cooperation.

“It has been confirmed that these weapons represent an imminent threat to coalition and commercial vessels in the region,” US Central Command wrote on the X platform.

Before that, the company “Embry” for navigation security announced that a commercial ship reported being exposed to fire 109 hundred and nine nautical miles off the coast of Yemen.

She said that guards on board the ship exchanged fire with gunmen who were on a boat that approached it. She explained that the ship was no longer in danger, and no injuries were recorded.

For its part, the European Union naval mission in the southern Red Sea said on Thursday that it destroyed three ballistic missiles and a drone boat belonging to the Yemeni Houthi group, with the aim of protecting commercial ships.

The mission, known as ASPIDS, on


the

The Aspids were launched last February to help protect the main maritime trade route from drone and missile attacks launched by the Houthi group.

An American fighter is on its way to strike a Houthi target (Getty)

50 attacks

In the same context, US Deputy Secretary of Defense Celeste Wallander confirmed yesterday that the Houthis have carried out at least 50 attacks on ships off the coast of Yemen since the fall.

“In the Red Sea, the Houthis are seeking to disrupt this vital route for global trade, with at least 50 attacks” on ships since the fall, Wallander said during a congressional hearing.

The Houthis have been carrying out attacks on ships they say are linked to Israel since November in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In the face of this, the United States, which supports Israel, established a multinational naval protection force in the Red Sea in December, and together with Britain launched strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen.

But another Pentagon official acknowledged that the Houthis are able to quickly replace equipment destroyed by Western strikes.

The commander of the US military command in the Middle East (Centcom), General Eric Kurella, said in the same congressional session, "Only two ships can replace most of the Houthi equipment that we have destroyed so far."

Kurilla added, "We must increase the work done at the international level so that we can inspect ships arriving in Hodeidah," which overlooks the Red Sea and is controlled by the Houthis, also stressing the need to put pressure on Iran, an ally of the Houthis.

In a related context, Bloomberg reported - yesterday, Thursday - that China and Russia agreed with the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) to avoid their ships in the Red Sea,

Ships of Russia and China

In a related context, Bloomberg reported that diplomats from China and Russia reached an understanding with the spokesman for the Houthi group, Mohammed Abdul Salam, that their ships crossing the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden would not be targeted after negotiations in the Sultanate of Oman, according to people who requested anonymity for the site.

While neither the spokesmen for the governments of China and Russia nor the Houthi spokesman commented on requests from Bloomberg regarding this information, the site reported that this understanding is matched by the two countries providing political support to the Houthis in UN bodies such as the Security Council, according to what those sources said.

In return, the two countries may provide political support to the Houthis in bodies such as the UN Security Council, according to Al-Shaab. It is not entirely clear how this support will manifest itself, but it may include prohibiting further decisions against the group.

Spokesmen for the governments of China and Russia, as well as the Houthis, including Abdel Salam, did not respond to Bloomberg's requests for comment.

Al-Houthi considered that overcoming American and Israeli technologies in monitoring and jamming was a major victory (Al-Jazeera)

Houthi's speech

In Yemen, the leader of the group, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, announced yesterday evening, Thursday, future plans of great importance to carry out strikes “with more impact on enemy ships (Israeli, British, and American).”

Al-Houthi did not reveal these plans, but he added, "At the military level, we continue to develop military action and operations more and more, and the options before us are many." He continued, "Anything legitimate that we can do, we will do without hesitation or worry about the enemies' threats, classifications, and campaigns."

Al-Houthi considered that being able to "overcome American and Israeli technologies in monitoring, jamming, and interception is a victory and a major development for our military forces."

In his speech, Al-Houthi considered that "the tragedy in Gaza is a curse on the criminal killers and their supporters, and a disgrace on the foreheads of those who remain silent and onlookers."

The United States and Britain launched a series of raids on targets in Yemen after Washington announced the formation of what was called the "Prosperity Alliance" against the Houthis, with the aim of "stopping their repeated attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea."

These maritime attacks - especially near Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden - led to an increase in the cost of insurance for shipping companies, forcing many of them to change their course, and companies also temporarily suspended their operations.

The Houthis say that they will expand their attacks to prevent ships linked to Israel from crossing from the Indian Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope, to support the Palestinians, and that any coalition will not stop their attacks, which they link their cessation to the end of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Source: Agencies