SANAA: Yemen's Ansar Allah said on Tuesday they carried out their third attack on American warships in 48 hours, following US strikes on group that sparked. The group also condemned Israel's wave of strikes on Gaza, which the health ministry in the territory said killed more than 400 people, vowing to escalate their own operations in support of ally Hamas. They had targeted ships in the Red Sea after the start of the Gaza war and until a January ceasefire, claiming solidarity with Palestinians. But last week, they threatened to renew attacks on Israeli shipping over Israel's aid blockade on the Palestinian territory, triggering the first US strikes on Yemen since President Donald Trump took office in January.
In their latest retaliation, the Yemeni group said on Telegram on Tuesday that they fired missiles and drones at the USS Harry S. Truman, calling it the "third in the past 48 hours" on the fleet in the northern Red Sea.
Local media said fresh US strikes hit the Hodeida and Al Salif regions on Monday and Sanaa early on Tuesday -- hours after tens of thousands demonstrated in the capital. There were also large crowds in Saada, the birthplace of the movement, and demonstrations in Dhamar, Hodeida and Amran on Monday. The protests came after Washington launched its fresh campaign of air strikes on Yemen beginning on Saturday, killing 53 people and wounding 98 according to the health ministry.
Washington has vowed to keep hitting Yemen until the gunmen stop firing on shipping, with Trump warning he will hold Iran accountable for their attacks. "Every shot fired by the Yemenis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN," Trump posted on social media. Tehran called his statement "belligerent".
In a televised interview with Fox News, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Yemeni does "not exist" without Iran. "Without Iran, there is no threat of this magnitude," he said. "They created this Frankenstein monster, and now they got to own it." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US strikes and said Washington had "no authority" to dictate Tehran's foreign policy.
On Saturday, the capital was hit by heavy strikes, including in northern districts. US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz told ABC News that Saturday's strikes "targeted multiple group's leaders and took them out". The Pentagon said on Monday it had struck 30 targets in its ongoing campaign in Yemen.
The United Nations urged both sides to "cease all military activity", while expressing concern over threats to resume their Red Sea attacks. Before this weekend's targeting of the US carrier group, the Yemeni group had not claimed any attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since January 19, when the ceasefire in Gaza began. Trump has warned them that "hell will rain down upon you" if it does not stop its attacks.
While the Red Sea trade route normally carries around 12 per cent of world shipping traffic, the attacks have forced many companies into costly detours around southern Africa. A database set up by ACLED, a non-profit monitor, showed more than 130 attacks against warships, commercial vessels and Israeli and other targets since October 19, 2023. The United States had already launched several rounds of strikes on Yemeni targets under president Joe Biden. — AFP
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