Yemeni Official: Houthi Attacks Call for More Fleets in the Region

The USS Carney, which responded to Houthi attacks (AP)

A Yemeni military official on Tuesday accused the Houthis of provoking foreign fleets to come to the region through attacks targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea.
Spokesman of Yemen’s National Resistance Forces Brigadier Sadiq Dowied saw the attacks as a service to Iran, stressing that they do not serve the Palestinian cause and undermine the sympathy of international public opinion with the innocents in the Gaza Strip.
Dowied told Asharq Al-Awsat that Yemen condemns Israel’s escalation of its crimes in Gaza, warning that tampering with the security and sovereignty of Yemeni waters and international sea lanes is a service to Iran.
The Yemeni military commander believed the Houthi attacks, most recently the attack on two ships in the southern Red Sea, were a “waste of Yemen’s sovereignty” over its waters, causing chaos and calling for more international forces and fleets in the region.
- Service to Iran
Yemeni author Nabil al-Soufi believes the Houthi attacks on “international trade” in Bab al-Mandab will increase international support for Israel.
He said the recent attacks confirm that northern Yemen has become a “loose” area for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) as a camp.
Soufi noted that Iran’s other affiliates have not recorded any international violations like the Houthis, who strike international trade institutions that governments do not own in the first place.
According to him, the ships attacked belong to multinational companies managed by stock exchanges, insurance and transportation companies, and other institutions.
He said that instead of focusing on peace and using the Hodeidah port to generate profit that benefits the people, Houthis proved fundamentally that they are incapable of putting the interest of the country and the people first.
Meanwhile, researcher Ibrahim Jalal warned that repeated “Houthi adventures” targeting international shipping lines would increase insurance costs, leading to a price hike.
Jalal warned that the attacks and hijacking of ships will lead to the military presence in the Gulf of Aden and the seas associated with it.
The US Central Command (Centcom) had announced that a US destroyer engaged and shot down on Sunday a UAV launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.
CENTCOM said in a statement that there were four attacks against three separate commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea.
“The Arleigh-Burke Class destroyer USS CARNEY responded to the distress calls from the ships and provided assistance.”
The statement added that the drone was headed toward CARNEY, although its specific target is unclear. “We cannot assess at this time whether the Carney was a target of the UAVs.”