After days of relative calm and a decline in the frequency of Houthi attacks against ships in the Red Sea, the group acknowledged receiving a “US-British” strike on Monday, on a site in the Taif area of the Al-Durayhimi District, south of the coastal city of Hodeidah.
While the Houthi group did not provide any details regarding the effects of the strike, the US army did not immediately claim responsibility for carrying out the raid, which is an extension of hundreds of pre-emptive strikes carried out by Washington and London, to curb the group’s capabilities.
Last Friday, the US Army announced that it had intercepted four Houthi drones and destroyed them over the Red Sea, while the group’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, confirmed the continuation of the attacks, which he said were in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.
The leader of the pro-Iranian group claimed responsibility for attacking 86 ships since the beginning of the escalation, noting that the Houthis carried out 10 attacks against 9 ships during the week using 37 ballistic and cruise missiles and a drone.
Washington launched an international coalition in December to protect navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, before initiating strikes on land.
The European Union, for its part, is participating in confronting the attacks, through the Aspides mission naval mission that it launched in mid-February, with the participation of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Greece.
In a separate development, economic circles in Yemen are awaiting government reactions to the Houthi move of minting a 100 Yemeni riyal coin in Sanaa and putting it into circulation, despite warnings from the Central Bank in Aden.
The Central Bank of Yemen described the Houthi move as “illegal” and “escalatory” and urged residents and financial institutions in Houthi-controlled areas to avoid using the new “fake” currency.
