US offers to Yemeni rebels in bid to secure Red Sea shipping lanes

For six months, Yemeni Houthi rebels have been attacking ships passing through the Red Sea. The US authorities had reportedly offered "incentives" to the rebels in exchange for stopping these attacks - according to unofficial findings by "The National" newspaper published in the United Arab Emirates.

The "The National" online service cites sources within the Yemeni authorities and claims that the American proposals were conveyed through envoys and mediators, both Western and Omani.

A Yemeni interlocutor for "The National" noted that the incentives offered by the USA, which include accelerating the peace process in Yemen, ending the civil war, and lifting the blockade of the airport in Sana'a and the port in Hodeidah, should be preceded by the removal of the Houthis from the American list of terrorist organizations "and likely recognition of their authority in part of Yemen".

US officials declined to confirm the information, though they admitted that they apply various, including diplomatic, measures to "discourage the Houthis from their reckless undertaking." The US Special Envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, said in an interview for "The National" that "ultimately, the United States wants to return to de-escalation and focus on maintaining peace." Yemeni informants on the website did not specify how the Houthis responded to the proposals.

Supported by Iran, the Houthis, who control most of war-torn Yemen (Sana'a and territories in the north and west of the country), have been attacking a key shipping route since November as part of a campaign they describe as solidarity with the Palestinians in their fight against Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Tens of attacks carried out on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden have disrupted the functioning of international transportation (about 12 per cent of global trade passes through the Red Sea) and have heightened concerns about the spread of the Palestinian-Israeli armed conflict across the entire Middle East region.