Drone attacks, drone strikes and outright hijacking freeze shipping in the Red Sea as the war in Gaza threatens to spread.
The Iran-backed Houthi movement is intensifying its attacks on civilian and military ships, prompting the world’s major shipping companies to suspend shipping off Yemen’s coast.
The latest incident occurred on Monday when the Norwegian-owned freighter M/V Swan Atlantic was hit by multiple drones said to have been fired from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. Another ship, the MSC Clara, was attacked.
No one on board was injured in the attack, but the latest attack by the Islamist militant Houthi movement showed that the war between Israel and terror-labeled Hamas is taking an increasingly serious turn in the important waterway of the Red Sea.
Several attacks have, according to their own statement, been carried out by the Huthi movement in recent weeks. American and British warships have been attacked, as well as several civilian merchant ships. Attacks have increased sharply since Huthirebeller managed to hijack the merchant ship Galaxy Leader on 19 November.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday warned Iran, which supports the Houthi movement in Yemen and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, to support the attacks. He invited several defense ministers in the region to an emergency meeting after the latest attacks, CNN reported Monday evening.
Several of the largest shipping companies have decided to freeze traffic on the Red Sea. The British oil and gas giant BP is also stopping all transport through the Red Sea.
The Houthi movement has previously threatened to attack any ship that could possibly benefit Israel, as revenge for the Gaza war.