Washington and its allies in the anti-Yemen naval task force have issued an ultimatum to the Ansarallah resistance movement, warning them to cease their attacks in the Red Sea or suffer the “consequences.”
“Ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing. There is no lawful justification for intentionally targeting civilian shipping and naval vessels,” a joint statement drafted by 12 countries and released by the White House said on 3 January.
“Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews. The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.”
The statement followed Yemen’s latest strike on a vessel bound for Israel.
The Yemeni navy targeted the CMA CGM TAGE vessel on 3 January, which “was heading to the ports of occupied Palestine,” Sanaa’s armed forces said in a statement.
“The targeting operation came after the ship’s crew refused to respond to calls from the Yemeni naval forces, which included fiery warning messages,” the statement added. It was Yemen’s first naval operation since the start of the new year.
In the past two months, the Ansarallah resistance movement and Yemen’s Armed Forces have carried out 12 operations against vessels linked with or bound for Israel, including the 3 January attack. One vessel was also seized by Yemeni forces on 19 November and taken to the coast of Yemen.
In addition, several Yemeni drone and missile attacks have targeted Israel’s southern port of Eilat since October.
In response to the Yemeni attacks, Washington announced in early December the formation of a US-led naval task force aimed at protecting international shipping in the Red Sea. Red Sea shipping has suffered significant economic backlash due to Yemen’s operations, given that several major shipping firms are resorting to expensive re-routes and being subjected to higher shipping costs.
Ansarallah’s attacks in the Red Sea have not resulted in any deaths or injuries, and serve as warning operations aimed at preventing goods from reaching Israeli ports.
Washington’s threats come just days after US navy helicopters sunk three Yemeni boats, killing those on board.
Ansarallah remains undeterred by Washington’s campaign against it.
Yemen “will continue to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine from navigating in the Red and Arabian Seas until food and medicine is brought in to our brothers in the Gaza Strip,” Ansarallah said on Wednesday.
“The Yemeni armed forces also confirm that any American aggression will not go unanswered or unpunished … [We] warn the American enemy or others against any attack or action that represents the protection of commercial ships that go to the Zionist entity.”
