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SANAA/ GAZA:
Following President Joe Biden's administration's commitment to safeguard shipping in the Red Sea, the United States conducted an additional strike against Yemen's Houthi forces on Friday.
In continuation of the previous day's numerous American and British strikes on Houthi facilities, the US targeted a radar site in the latest strike.
Utilizing Tomahawk missiles, the guided-missile destroyer Carney executed the follow-on strike early on Saturday local time. The objective was to diminish the Houthis' capability to launch attacks on maritime vessels, including commercial ones, as stated by the US Central Command in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Houthi movement reported on the Al-Masirah television channel that the USA and the UK launched an attack on Sana'a, Yemen.
US and British warplanes, ships and submarines fired missiles on Thursday at targets across Yemen controlled by the group, which sees its maritime activities as a threat to Palestinians detained by Israel in the Gaza Strip over concerns of an expansion of the conflict. area. Support.
As Houthi leaders vowed retaliation, Biden warned on Friday that he could order more strikes if they did not stop attacks on commercial ships and vessels in one of the world's most important economies.
"If the Houthis continue this bad behavior, we will make sure to respond to them," Biden told reporters in Pennsylvania on Friday. said.
Explosions were confirmed early on Friday, Yemen time, at military bases near airports in the capital Sanaa and Yemen's third city Taiz, a naval base at Yemen's main Red Sea port Hodeidah, and military sites in the coastal Hajjah governorate, according to witnesses.
John Kirby, the spokesperson for the White House, stated that the initial strikes were aimed at disabling the Houthis' ability to store, launch, and guide missiles or drones, which the group has been using to threaten Red Sea shipping in recent months.
The Pentagon asserted that the joint US-British assault significantly diminished the Houthis' capacity to carry out further attacks. The US military reported hitting 60 targets across 28 locations.
Although the Houthis, who currently hold control over Sanaa and large parts of the west and north of Yemen, claimed that five fighters were killed, they vowed to persist with their assaults on regional shipping.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations information hub received reports of a missile landing in the sea approximately 500 meters (1,600 feet) away from a ship, around 90 nautical miles southeast of the Yemeni port of Aden.
Ambrey, a shipping security firm, identified the vessel as a Panama-flagged tanker transporting Russian oil.
Version 1: Drone footage aired on Al-Masirah TV, the media outlet of the Houthis, showcased a massive gathering in Sanaa, where hundreds of thousands of people passionately voiced their opposition to Israel and the United States.
According to Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, the strikes on Yemen are nothing short of terrorism. He further labeled the United States as the embodiment of evil.
When questioned by reporters about whether he considered the Houthis to be terrorists, President Biden, whose administration removed them from the State Department's list of "foreign terrorist organizations" in 2021, responded affirmatively, stating, "I think they are."
The crisis in the Red Sea is a direct consequence of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, with its violent repercussions spreading throughout the region.
Since October 7, over 23,000 Palestinians have tragically lost their lives due to brutal Israeli airstrikes and a subsequent ground invasion of the Palestinian territory.
At the United Nations Security Council, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield defended the Yemen strikes, emphasizing their aim to disrupt and weaken the Houthis' ability to carry out reckless attacks on ships and commercial vessels.
Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia previously accused the US and Britain of being solely responsible for triggering the expansion of the conflict in Gaza, which has now engulfed the entire region.
In Washington, spokesperson John Kirby clarified that the US has no interest in engaging in a war with Yemen.
In a country ravaged by nearly a decade of war, where millions are on the brink of famine, the prospect of an extended new conflict has instilled fear among the population, leading to long queues at gas stations.
Oil price surges
The price of Brent crude oil experienced a significant increase of over $2 on Friday due to concerns about potential disruptions in supplies. However, it later relinquished half of its gains. President Biden expressed his deep concern about the impact of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East on oil prices.
According to commercial ship-tracking data, at least nine oil tankers have either stopped or diverted from the Red Sea. These actions are a result of months of attacks by Houthi fighters, who have targeted Israeli ships or those en route to Israel.
In response to the escalating situation, the United States and some allies deployed a naval task force in December. In recent days, there has been a further escalation, with the United States and Britain successfully intercepting 21 missiles and drones.
However, not all major US allies have chosen to support the strikes within Yemen. The Netherlands, Australia, Canada, and Bahrain have provided logistical and intelligence support. On the other hand, Germany, Denmark, New Zealand, and South Korea have issued a joint statement defending the attacks and warning of potential future actions.
Italy, Spain, and France, however, have decided not to sign or participate in these actions, as they fear a broader escalation of the conflict.
A senior US official has accused Tehran of supplying the Yemeni group with military capabilities and intelligence to carry out their attacks. Iran has condemned the strikes, but there is currently no indication that they are seeking direct conflict.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has urged the White House to restore security in the region by ceasing its "all-out military and security cooperation" with Israel.
The Houthi attacks have forced commercial ships to take longer and costlier routes around Africa, leading to concerns about inflation and disruptions in the global supply chain. Container shipping rates for key global routes have skyrocketed this week.
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