Houthi rebels escalate Red Sea tanker attacks, heighten tensions
Supported by Iran, Yemeni Houthi fighters attacked two more tankers in the Red Sea, confirmed by the British and American armies, who are trying to protect ships sailing the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe.
The attacks by Yemeni Houthi fighters on ships using the route through the Suez Canal continue. Officially, this is a reaction by the Iran-backed rebels to the situation of Palestinians in Gaza. It aims to pressure Israel to cease fire, an escalation following a terrorist attack carried out by Hamas in October 2023.
As previously reported on money.pl, fighter attacks on ships have caused trade to bypass the area, opting for the longer route around Africa, resulting in increased costs. Consequently, oil prices have risen.
Despite the long months of a Western coalition consisting of, among others, British and American aircraft carriers, the crisis has not been resolved. This is evidenced by the attacks that the Houthis carried out on Monday on two tankers: MT Chios Lion (under the flag of Liberia) and MT Bently (under the flag of Panama).
Two successful attacks in the Red Sea
Americans, quoted by the Egyptian newspaper "Ahram," reported that the attacks on the tankers were carried out by sea and air drones. Still, there was no serious damage, and most importantly, no crew members were harmed. Additionally, on the same day, American forces destroyed five flying drones.
"As part of their campaign, the rebels have targeted more than 70 ships. They launched missiles and drones, killing four sailors. Since November, they have seized one ship and sunk two," summarises the Egyptian newspaper.
American command, referring to the deaths of, among others, Vietnamese sailors, commented that "the Houthis claim to act on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza, yet their targets are citizens of third countries, who have nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza."
According to coalition data, in June the number of Houthi attacks on merchant ships increased to the highest level since December 2023. The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is approaching the area to replace the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the mission of protecting trade.
