Houthis promise safe passage for Russian, Chinese ships in Red Sea, media reports

Representatives of the Yemeni rebel Ansar Allah (#Houthis) movement have assured #Russia and #China that their ships can pass through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait without fear of attacks from the Houthis, Bloomberg said, citing sources.

According to the agency, a relevant agreement was allegedly reached during talks between diplomats of the three countries, which took place in "Oman. Ansar #Allah spokesman Mohamed Abdel Salam headed the Houthi delegation.

Possible reasons why the Houthis have reduced the intensity of attacks on ships in the Red Sea

The intensity of Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has decreased slightly. The last large vessel attacked was the tanker MADO, transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG), which was not seriously damaged and continued on its way.

Last week, the Financial Times reported on secret negotiations between Washington and Tehran. According to him, the United States is trying to influence the Yemeni Houthis not only militarily, but also diplomatically. In January, the White House held secret talks with Iran to persuade the Islamic Republic to influence Yemeni rebels to stop attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Iran did not deny the fact of the meeting, but emphasized that the negotiations were about something completely different.

Islamic Republic authorities claim that "resistance groups in the region do not receive instructions" from Tehran. However, the facts suggest that the Iranians still have considerable influence over their proxy forces. The American administration, for its part, allegedly agreed to lift a number of sanctions from Iran, which will allow the release of $10 billion. This is the price to pay for stopping the Houthi attacks.

Whether this information is a hoax with the aim of discrediting the Ansar Allah movement or, conversely, to raise its status, will become clear in the coming days. It is important to monitor the Houthis' actions over time. Since October 2023, they have carried out more than 100 attacks in the Red Sea and surrounding waters, affecting 15 merchant ships, including four American ones.

Iranian spy ships behind the Houthi's deadly attacks on vessels
Over the past few days, the Yemeni Houthis have increased their attacks on ships sailing in the Red Sea.

However, the Houthis' largest attack on an international waterway occurred on Saturday, when the US military revealed the downing of 32 drones launched by the Iran-backed Houthis at targets in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Which put the spotlight back on Iran's indirect role in these attacks.
The Yemeni Minister of Information, Muammar al-Ariani, confirmed yesterday evening that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) established a sea and land bridge to provide the Houthis with precision weapons that it uses in its attacks in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden, through special smuggling networks that use ships.

A former U.S. Army officer said the precision strikes by the Houthis indicated a possible Iranian role.

David de Roches, a former U.S. Army colonel and also a lecturer at the Center for Strategic Studies for the Near East and South Asia at the National Defense University in Washington, hinted at a possible role of The Iranian ship "Bashad" in an attack a few days ago on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, according to the Arab World News Agency. "In my estimation and everyone's estimation, the Iranian intelligence ship - "Bahshad" provides attack data to the Houthi missiles and this is what makes them accurate and deadly" - he added.

Yemeni Houthis claim strikes at three ships in Indian Ocean

The Yemeni #Houthis attacked three ships in the Indian Ocean, the movement's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on the Houthi-controlled Al Masirah TV channel. "The Yemeni Armed Forces have started to expand the scale of its operations against Israeli and Israeli-affiliated ships travelling to ports of the occupied Palestine, increasing it to the Indian Ocean and the Cape of Good Hope. […] They have already carried out three operation against three Israeli and US ships in the Indian Ocean using several naval missiles and drones," he said.

The spokesman also said that commercial ships that travel to Israel through the Cape of Good Hope in the southern part of Africa will become a "legitimate target" for the Houthis. "The Yemeni Armed Forces reaffirm that they will not stop preventing the Israeli navigations in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, as well as in the Indian Ocean," he added.

#Container vessel receives damage after attack off #Yemeni coast

A container vessel was attacked southeast of the Yemeni port city of Aden, Reuters reported, citing Ambrey, a UK-based maritime security company. According to the news agency, one of the containers aboard the vessel and the crew’s room were damaged. The attack was followed by a fire. No information about casualties is immediately available.

Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, #UKMTO, reported that another ship had been attacked off the Yemeni coast, 91 nautical miles southeast of Aden.

British vessel sinks in Gulf of Aden after Houthi attack, reports Sky News Arabia TV

The Rubymar, a British ship attacked by Houthi rebels from the Yemen-based Ansar Allah movement while navigating the Gulf of Aden, has now sunk, Sky News Arabia television reported, citing Yemeni sources. The TV channel did not disclose any other details of the incident.

Earlier, the Houthis announced they had delivered a missile strike on the Rubymar. Ansar Allah representative Yahya Saria published a corresponding statement on his Telegram channel. According to the rebels' claim, the vessel suffered serious damage and stopped moving. The Houthis acknowledged that the Rubymar may be at risk of sinking.

Yemen’s #Houthis attack US ship in Red Sea

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have attacked the Star Iris commercial vessel which the attackers have identified as belonging to the United States, Yahya Saria, spokesman for the rebel movement Ansar Allah, said.

"#Yemen’s naval forces targeted the US ship Star Iris in the Red Sea with anti-ship missiles," Saria told Al Masirah television as he described the strikes as direct and accurate.

Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that an unidentified merchant vessel came under attack 40 nautical miles south of the Yemeni port of Al-Mukha. According to UKMTO, two missiles were fired at the ship, but the crew was not injured.

The Star Iris bulk carrier sailing under the flag of Marshall Islands departed from the Brazilian port of Vila do Conde for Iran’s Bandar Imam Khomeini exactly on this date a month ago, Marine Traffic said. The crew last reported their location from the central Red Sea earlier on Monday.

#Houthis say they attacked U.S., UK ships in Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi rebel movement Ansar Allah has attacked two vessels belonging to the U.S. and the UK in the Red Sea waters, the movement's spokesman, Yahya Saria, said.

"The Yemeni navy conducted two military operations in the Red Sea, the first of which targeted the US vessel Star Nasia and the second [aimed at] the UK vessel Morning Tide," he told the Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV channel. Both ships were hit "directly and accurately" by anti-ship missiles, the spokesman added.

Houthis say they are ready for long conflict with .U.S, UK

Mohammed Nasser Al-Atefi, a representative of the Yemeni rebel group Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, said it is ready for a long confrontation with the US and UK.

"Our revolutionary leadership and the Supreme Political Council have taken all necessary steps <...> so we are ready for a long confrontation with the forces of tyranny. The Americans, the British and those who coordinated with them must realize the strength of Yemen's sovereign decision and that it is not a matter of discussion or debate," Al-Atefi said on the Houthi-owned Al Masirah television.

The Yemeni Armed Forces/Houthis have struck the British Oil Tanker Marlin Luanda. The vessel is currently on fire.