No new hostilities in the region was reported since the attack on container vessel ” Groton ” on Saturday !said that Lars Jenson Leader expert in the container on LinkedIn after 234 days of the Red Sea Crisis !
Israeli bombing of Hodeidah
Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden have stopped for about two weeks, following the Israeli bombing of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, which is under the control of the pro-Iranian group, with the exception of a single attack on a ship in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday, without reporting major damage or injuries, in addition to the group claiming to have shot down an American drone.
A third party
The decline in Houthi attacks to a complete halt over the course of two weeks has raised many questions and speculations. Yemeni politicians believe that the group received a severe blow in Hodeidah that affected its military capabilities and warehouses, while others believe that the group received Israeli threats through a third party to assassinate its senior leaders.
American strikes
Observers confirm that the successive American strikes played a major role in the decline of the group’s attacks, especially since they targeted many of the radars that direct the attacks and launch platforms in recent times.
Retaliatory strikes
On July 20, Israel carried out retaliatory strikes against the Houthis, targeting fuel and electricity tanks in Hodeidah and its port, in response to a drone targeting Tel Aviv on July 19, which the Iran-backed group in Yemen claimed responsibility for launching, killing one person and wounding others.
Media show
In his latest sermon, the group’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, threatened to take revenge and respond to the Hodeidah strike and the assassination of Hamas’s political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, and Hezbollah’s military leader, Fouad Shukr. However, these threats remained mere talk for media Show among the group’s followers.
August 3 U.S. Central Command Update
In the past 24 hours U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed an Iranian-backed Houthi missile and launcher in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.
It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to U.S.… pic.twitter.com/PJClSZmQIG— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 3, 2024
More than 170 ships
It is noteworthy that the Houthi group has adopted many attacks against Israel since last November, without any significant impact, except for the drone attack on Tel Aviv. It also adopted the attack on more than 170 ships in the Red and Arabian Seas, under the pretext of supporting the Palestinians in Gaza.
Greek ship “Tutor
The attacks hit about 31 ships, two of which sank; an attack on February 18 led to the sinking of the British ship “Robemar” in the Red Sea, before the sinking of the Greek ship “Tutor”, which was targeted on June 12.
Ship True Confidence
A missile attack on March 6 killed three sailors and injured four others, targeting the Liberian ship True Confidence in the Gulf of Aden.
In addition to the injuries sustained by the ships, the group is still holding the ship Galaxy Leader, which it hijacked on November 19, taking it and its crew to the port of Al-Salif, north of Hodeidah, and turning it into a shrine for its followers.
Container vessel ” Groton “
The latest Houthi attack was a ship in the Gulf of Aden container vessel ” Groton “ on Saturday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations, which said in a statement that the operating company officer reported that the ship was targeted by a missile, and that no fires, water leaks or oil leaks into the water were detected.
A small explosion
On Sunday, the Houthi group claimed responsibility for the attack through its military spokesman, Yahya Saree, while the British authority said that the incident occurred on Saturday at 57:17 GMT, about 125 nautical miles (231 kilometers) east of the city of Aden, after the same ship had witnessed a small explosion near it more than 4 hours before the last attack.
“Guardian of Prosperity” coalition
The group acknowledged receiving more than 580 raids since January 12, with 57 killed and 87 wounded as a result of the strikes launched by Washington under what it called the “Guardian of Prosperity” coalition.
Since November 19, the Iran-backed Houthi group has been launching attacks in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, claiming that it is trying to prevent the navigation of ships linked to Israel, regardless of their nationality, as well as American and British ships.
Assassination threats
Yemeni politicians, including Saleh al-Baydani, an advisor at the Yemeni embassy in Riyadh, say that after the Israeli bombing of the port of Hodeidah, the Houthi group received threats through a third party that their senior leaders would be assassinate if they continued their attacks.
Stopped issuing threats
The Yemeni advisor added, “But when they (the Houthis) received a message from a third party that the upcoming strikes would target the heads of their leaders, they stopped issuing threats, while some are still waiting for their response, which will not come after the destruction of the port of Hodeidah.”
Their own decision
The failure of the Houthi response to the bombing of Hodeidah so far is due to a lack of capabilities that can reach the Israeli depth, not to mention that the Houthis do not have their own decision, and the one who has the decision is Iran, which is supplied with weapons, technology and experts.
ٍSources : Quoted from Asharq Al-Awsat
