Important Takeaways:
- A report at Al-Ain media in the UAE says that recent US strikes in Yemen have caused heavy losses among the Iranian-backed Houthis. The report says that “the US military has intensified its airstrikes on Houthi militia bases, facilities, and command centers in their main stronghold in Saada Governorate, northern Yemen.”
- “The US military launched a new series of airstrikes early Wednesday morning, targeting militia barracks and hideouts east of Saada city and Al Salem district in the same governorate,” Al-Ain reported.
- The strikes have included more than 15 raids on the Sahar and Kitaf districts in Saada, in addition to two raids on the town of Qahza, southeast of Saada.
- “This escalation comes after the Houthis announced their ninth attack on the US aircraft carrier Truman in the Red Sea.
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Important Takeaways:
- The U.S. military pounded Houthi targets over the weekend and warned Hamas of a similar fate if they don’t agree to a hostage deal.
- Dozens of U.S airstrikes and missile strikes on Houthi strongholds in Yemen left at least 31 people dead, and some of them may have been Houthi leaders.
- The attacks came after the Houthis warned they were about to resume hitting ships in the Red Sea and nearby waters. Earlier attacks by the Houthis since the start of the war in Gaza have disrupted global shipping costing billions of dollars.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News on Sunday, “Four months ago when we sent a ship through, it was shot at 17 times. Ships haven’t been able to go through for over a year without being shot at. Freedom of navigation is basic. It’s a core national interest.”
- President Donald Trump declared on Truth Social, “No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the waterways of the world.”
- The president also warned Iran to stop backing the Houthis, posting, “Beware, because America will hold you fully accountable and we won’t be nice about it!” Iranian leaders repeated their denial that they were assisting the Houthis.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio claims America is doing the world a favor.
- He stated on CBS Face the Nation, “The strike in Yemen is about their ability to – the ability of the Houthis – to strike global shipping and attack the U.S. Navy, and their willingness to do it. 174 times against the U.S. Navy, some 145 times against global shipping. That’s what this strike is about.”
- Hegseth [said] “We’re pounding them militarily,” he said, and noted, “By the way, to the Houthis: this isn’t a one-night thing. This will continue until you say, ‘We’re done shooting at ships. We’re done shooting at assets.'”
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Important Takeaways:
- Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked two crude oil tankers – the Saudi-flagged Amjad and the Panama-flagged Blue Lagoon I – in the Red Sea on Monday, the U.S. military said, calling the assaults “reckless acts of terrorism”.
- The Houthis late on Monday claimed responsibility for targeting the Blue Lagoon with multiple missiles and drones but did not make any mention of the Saudi tanker.
- The U.S. Central Command said the Houthis attacked the two tankers with two ballistic missiles and a one-way attack uncrewed aerial system, hitting both vessels.
- Both vessels were laden with crude oil, with the Amjad carrying about two million barrels of oil, according to the U.S. military statement, which described the attacks as “reckless acts of terrorism by the Houthis.”
- Two sources told Reuters earlier that the ships were sailing near each other when they were hit but were able to continue their voyages with no major damage assessed or any casualties.
- In more than 70 attacks, the Houthis have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least three seafarers.
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Important Takeaways:
- Leading shipping groups have urged governments “with influence” to put a stop to Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea after a second freighter sank this week.
- At least three seafarers have been killed in the attacks so far. The latest sinking is likely to have led to another death
- “It is deplorable that innocent seafarers are being attacked while simply performing their jobs, vital jobs which keep the world warm, fed, and clothed,” the shipping associations said in their statement.
- “This is an unacceptable situation, and these attacks must stop now. We call for states with influence in the region to safeguard our innocent seafarers and for the swift de-escalation of the situation in the Red Sea,” they added.
- The Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels, based in Yemen, started launching drone and missile strikes on vessels in the Red Sea in November in what they say is revenge against Israel’s war in Gaza. They have since also seized one vessel and its crew, who are still being held hostage.
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Important Takeaways:
- Houthi militants said the US and UK killed at least 16 people with airstrikes on Yemen on Thursday, in the deadliest assault on the group since the start of a campaign in January to prevent its attacks on ships around the Red Sea.
- The Iran-backed militant organization on Friday said it targeted a US aircraft carrier in the area, the Dwight D. Eisenhower, in response. Though, there was no attack in the vicinity of the ship and it wasn’t hit, a Politico reporter said, citing a US Defense Department official.
- The militants have vowed to continue their attacks in solidarity with Palestinians and are calling on Israel to stop its war against Hamas in Gaza.
- The assault comes as Israeli troops pursue Hamas militants in Rafah. The US, European Union and other allies have either urged Israel to stop its operations in the southern Gaza city or do more to protect civilians.
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Important Takeaways:
- Houthis launch attacks on 3 ships, 2 US destroyers in nearby seas, group says
- Its attacks have forced shippers to re-route cargo to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa and stoked fears of the Israel-Hamas war spreading and destabilizing the Middle East.
- Earlier, the Houthis said on Monday they launched attacks on three ships in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, and two US destroyers in the Red Sea.
- The group, which describes its attacks as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s war in Gaza, said the ships were the Larego Desert and the MSC Mechela in the Indian Ocean, and the Minerva Lisa in the Red Sea. It did not name the destroyers.
- There was no immediate confirmation from shipping companies or the US military of any attacks in those areas.
- The Houthis’ military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, did not specify when the attacks took place, but said in a televised speech the group had used missiles against the ships and drones against the US destroyers.
- The United States and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in retaliation for their attacks on vessels.
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Important Takeaways:
- The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks in the Red Sea as long as Israel continues to commit “crimes against Palestinians.”
- Several Russian warships have passed the Bab al-Mandab Strait into the Red Sea, the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet said on Thursday, amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on merchant shipping.
- The Zvezda TV channel, owned by the defense ministry, quoted the fleet as saying the Russian cruiser Varyag and the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov were taking part in the voyage.
- Houthi terrorists in Yemen have repeatedly attacked ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea since November in support of Palestinians, the terror organization claims.
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Important Takeaways:
- An underwater communication cable between India and Europe in the Red Sea managed by Seacom has been cut, the company confirmed in an interview with Bloomberg today.
- The cable runs in an area where the rebel group in Yemen called the Houthis have been targeting ships with drones and missiles. Other underwater cables, namely, Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1), Europe India Gateway (EIG), and Tata Global Network (TGN) systems connecting Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to Djibouti have also cut off in the Red Sea, as per a report by the Israeli publication Globes.
- Of these, the AAE-1, provides internet to a wide range of countries including Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, and India; EIG provides internet to 12 countries including the United Kingdom, Portugal, Egypt, and India; and TGN systems links linking Mumbai in India with Marseille in France.
- The repairs of these cables are expected to take about eight weeks and exposes those making said repairs to potential attacks by the Houthis.
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Important Takeaways:
- Houthi rebels release video of $30 million US drone shot down in Yemen – the second they’ve destroyed in months – as Red Sea tensions escalate
- Houthi rebels released footage of what they claim is a $30 million US drone they shot down in Yemen – the second they’ve destroyed since late last year- as Red Sea tensions escalate.
- The Houthis released video Tuesday of a surface-to-air missile bringing down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone off the coast of Hodeida, a Yemeni port city they hold on the Red Sea.
- The footage included a video of men dragging pieces of debris from the water onto a beach.
- Meanwhile, the Houthis claimed an attack on the Sea Champion, a Greek-flagged, U.S.-owned bulk carrier full of grain bound for Aden, Yemen, carrying grain from Argentina.
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Important Takeaways:
- How the Houthis could get revenge on the U.S. for airstrikes by cutting a FIFTH of the world’s internet
- Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen could try to sabotage internet cables in the Red Sea carrying nearly one fifth of the world’s web traffic, according to a spate of new warnings.
- Yemen’s government warned that the Red Sea is ‘one of the three most important meeting points for cables’ on the globe and the Houthis pose a ‘serious threat to one of the most important digital infrastructures in the world.’
- It came after a Houthi social media channel published a map showing the routes of various cables through the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea.
- The map was accompanied with the ominous message: ‘It seems that Yemen is in a strategic location, as internet lines that connect entire continents – not only countries – pass near it.’
- The average depth of the Red Sea is 450 meters but some are at depths of as little as 100 meters.
- There are 16 cables passing through including a sprawling 15,000-mile long one called Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1) which supplies broadband to Asia and Europe.
- It connects a litany of countries including France, Italy and Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, India and Pakistan.
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