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The Houthis are stepping up their attacks in front of Iranian and Gulf audiences

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The Iran-backed Houthis say they have stepped up their attacks on Israel. According to Iranian state media IRNA, the group says it has “confirmed another joint operation with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq against the Zionist regime’s positions, including in the occupied Palestinian territories.” The report follows a statement by Brigadier General Yahya Saree of the Houthis.

“We carried out a special operation in the Red Sea using unmanned boats, ballistic missiles and drones against a ship called Tutor, which managed to damage the vessel and cause it to sink,” Saree said, adding: “Our forces warn all companies about the consequences of collaborating with the Israeli enemy and against allowing their ships to enter the ports of occupied Palestine,” according to IRNA. The Houthis also claim to have attempted to attack the Israeli “ports of Ashdod and Haifa.”

The group says it uses drones and cruise missiles in these attacks. There is no evidence that these claims are true in this case, but the Houthis have targeted Eilat in the past.

CENTCOM confirms launch of Houthi drones

Meanwhile, the US Central Command said on June 12 that CENTCOM forces “successfully destroyed three anti-ship missile (ASCM) launch pads in Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, as well as an unmanned aerial system (UAS) launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen over the Red Sea.”

In addition, CENTCOM stated that the Houthis fired two ballistic missiles. In addition, an “Iran-backed Houthis unmanned surface vessel (USV) struck the M/V Tutor, a Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned and operated vessel, in the Red Sea. The M/V Tutor was last docked in Russia. The impact of the USV caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room.”

Houthi supporters raise firearms during a parade in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and to show their support for Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, in Sanaa, Yemen, January 29, 2024. (Source: KHALED ABDULLAH/REUTERS)

Al-Ain news media also reported airstrikes inland in Yemen’s mountains, targeting “buildings controlled by the Houthi militia, one of which is used for broadcasting and where armed elements are stationed in Al-Jabayn district, the capital of Raymah governorate.” The report said this was the first time airstrikes had been reported here in connection with the Houthis’ escalation in the Red Sea. The report described these mountains as “strategic.”

The report continued: “Local and security sources recently told Al-Ain News that the Houthi militias had moved their groups into the mountain ranges and stationed them on the Raymah Heights above the ports of Hodeidah to hide from direct attacks by the Americans and British.”

This shows that the situation is escalating on the part of the Houthis and that this simmering conflict is being closely monitored in Iran and in the Gulf regions, for example in the United Arab Emirates, where Al-Ain Media is based.



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