Britain and the United States… Missile strikes expected against Houthis in Sanaa

The Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen announced the death and loss of ten of its members, during an operation targeting cargo ships in the waters of the Red Sea, while the United States of America confirmed earlier that it sank three naval boats in the waters of the Red Sea, while trying to intercept a cargo ship.

Reuters and AFP, citing shipping sources in the port of Hodeida, reported that ten Houthis were killed and two others wounded in a US strike on Sunday on boats that attacked a container ship in the Red Sea.

U.S. Central Command announced on platform X that U.S. Navy helicopters had sunk three of the four boats used by the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen to attack a merchant ship in the southern Red Sea.

The planes took off from the Eisenhower and Gravely carriers in response to distress calls from the Danish cargo ship Maersk Hangzhou, and responded by firing on Houthi boats in self-defense and sank three boats without survivors on board, while the fourth boat fled the area, it said.

According to a shipping source at the Houthi-controlled port, "ten Houthis were killed and two were rescued wounded in the US shelling on Houthi boats that wanted to stop a ship off Hodeida."

Against the backdrop of the incident, the Danish shipping company Maersk announced the suspension of the passage of its ships in the Red Sea for 48 hours.

The Maersk Hangzhou container ship reported being attacked by a missile while transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait, followed by another attack by four Houthi boats as they tried to board them.

Maersk announced that it would "delay all crossings in the region in the next 48 hours."

Britain also called on Iran to share responsibility for preventing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

The British newspaper "The Times" quoted sources, on Sunday, statements that Britain is preparing to launch coordinated attacks with partners against the Ansar Allah group "Houthis" in Yemen.

The Times confirmed that Britain will join the United States and possibly a European country to launch missiles at targets of the Yemeni Ansar Allah group, noting that the strikes against the Houthis will be carried out by Britain for the first time through the air force or a British destroyer. Both Britain and the United States are working to persuade European countries to act to stop Houthi attacks.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Sunday he made clear in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian that Iran shared responsibility for preventing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

"I have made it clear that Iran has a shared responsibility in preventing these attacks, given its long-standing support for the Houthis," he said in a post on platform X, adding that the attacks "threaten the lives of innocent people and the global economy."

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that Houthi attacks on international shipping in and around the Red Sea have multiplied 5 times in the last two months, noting that these attacks harm global trade and must stop. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called for collective action against what he says are Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, while the Pentagon announced the downing of two missiles targeting a container ship, the 23rd attack in about 10 days.

The Pentagon said Austin, in a call with his British counterpart, Grant Shapps discussed "unlawful" and ongoing Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

The Pentagon said in a statement that the two ministers stressed that the Houthi attacks pose a major international problem and a threat to trade and the global order, and that confronting them requires collective action.

In the context, the Associated Press quoted the commander of the US Navy forces in the Middle East that the Houthis do not show a signal to stop their attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea, and that their attacks continue despite the expansion of the international coalition to protect ships.

Yemeni sources in Sana'a said that the leaders of the Houthi group received warnings a few days ago that a US-British strike may be directed against targets of the group in the Yemeni capital and Saada governorate, noting that Mahdi Al-Mashat - head of the political bureau - moves secretly between several Yemeni cities for fear of being targeted.

Al-Mashat appeared with another commander in a photo on the Red Sea coast in the city of Hodeida, but the date of the photo has not been confirmed, but Yemeni sources suggested that the pro-Iranian group is sending pictures to its supporters that they move freely and do not fear US strikes.

Regarding the expectation of US-British strikes against the Houthis, a Yemeni source residing in Sana'a told Al-Youm Al-Eighth newspaper: "There are expectations that Houthi military sites or bases will be subjected to US strikes, these strikes may be focused, so that the population is not affected."

He stressed that it has become common in Sanaa that the United States is about to launch a missile strike against military bases or leadership positions in Sanaa or Saada, which is likely to target the leader of the rebel movement, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, who is likely hiding in an underground house in the mountains of Maran Saada.

The Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council has remained silent in the face of the US strike against Iranian proxies in the Red Sea, but the same council has previously denied participating in any international effort to curb Houthi attacks on international shipping lanes.

Earlier on Saturday, the top commander of U.S. naval forces in the Middle East said Yemen's Houthis were showing no signs of ending their "reckless" attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, even as more countries joined the international naval mission to protect ships in the vital waterway and trade began to improve.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said in an interview with The Associated Press that since Operation Prosperity Guardian was announced just over 10 days ago, 1,200 merchant ships have sailed through the Red Sea region, none of which have been hit by drone strikes or missile attacks.

Other countries were expected to participate, he added. Denmark was one of the latest countries, as it announced, on Friday, plans to send a frigate to the mission announced by US Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, during a visit to Bahrain, where the US Navy's Fifth Fleet is stationed, saying that "this is an international challenge that requires collective action." The Bab al-Mandab Strait connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea and then the Suez Canal. The important trade route connects markets in Asia and Europe. The gravity of the attacks, many of which damaged ships, prompted many shipping companies to order their ships to stay in place and not enter the strait until security improves.

Some major shipping companies sent their ships around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope, increasing the time and cost of the trips. Cooper, who commands the Fifth Fleet, said there were currently five warships from the United States, France and the United Kingdom patrolling waters of the southern Red Sea and western Gulf of Aden.

Since the operation began, the ships have shot down a total of 17 drones and four anti-ship ballistic missiles, he said. Austin spoke with his British counterparts, Grant Shapps, and the Dutchman, Kajsa Olongern, to discuss the Houthis' "ongoing unlawful" attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

Both noted that these attacks violate freedom of navigation protected by international law and threaten citizens of multiple countries," according to a Pentagon statement. The three ministers stressed that the attacks "are unacceptable and destabilize the rules-based international order. The continued impact of these attacks on global trade is jeopardizing the movement of vital food, fuel and humanitarian aid around the world.

Secretary Austin noted that these attacks constitute a major international problem that requires collective action. Just two days ago, the Navy destroyer USS Mason shot down a drone and anti-ship ballistic missile launched by the Iran-backed Houthis, according to U.S. Central Command. The United States said it was the second attempt at an attack on international shipping launched by the Houthis since Oct. 19 that did not cause any damage to any of the eighteen vessels present in the area or any reported casualties.