Houthis Say They Will Prevent Ships from Passing Through Indian Ocean
The leader of the Houthis, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said the group’s operations targeting vessels would escalate to prevent Israel-linked ships from passing through not only the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden but also the Indian Ocean towards the Cape of Good Hope (Al Arabiya).
FT: U.S., Iran Held Secret Talks on Red Sea De-escalation
The indirect talks occurred in January in Oman and were the first such meetings between the two countries in ten months, unnamed U.S. and Iranian officials told the Financial Times;Washington reportedly urged Iran to use its influence over the Houthi rebels in Yemen to get them to reduce their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and voiced concerns over Tehran’s nuclear activities (FT)
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim to have a new, hypersonic missile in their arsenal, Russia’s state media reported, potentially raising the stakes in their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea; the report by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited an unidentified official but provided no evidence for the claim (AP)
Yemen-Based AQAP Announces Death of Leader
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has announced the death of its leader, Khalid Batarfi, and appointed a successor, according to an intelligence service monitoring armed groups worldwide (BBC)
A Saudi national who was in his forties, Batarfi was named AQAP’s leader in early 2020 after his predecessor, Qassim al-Rimi, was killed by a United States drone strike in what then-President Trump said was a counterterrorism operation in Yemen (Al Jazeera). Separately, airstrikes attributed to a U.S.-British coalition hit port cities and small towns in western Yemen on Monday, killing at least eleven people and injuring fourteen. At least seventeen airstrikes were reported in the country, including in the principal port city of Hodeidah and at Ras Issa Port (Reuters).
U.S.-Led Coalition Shoots Down Fifteen Houthi Drones
U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) announced that U.S. naval ships and aircraft shot down fifteen Houthi drones in the Red Sea; the rebel group launched several uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), posing an imminent threat to U.S. and coalition forces (Al Jazeera)
Houthi Attack in Red Sea Kills Three on Merchant Vessel
The deaths are the first known fatalities of shipping personnel in the Red Sea since the Iran-backed Houthi rebels began their campaign targeting commercial ships in the waterway last year; the U.S. military reported the deaths, saying they occurred on a Barbados-flagged and Liberian-owned ship (WaPo)
Damage to Internet Cables Beneath Red Sea Underscores Conflict Risk
Cables belonging to four major telecoms firms have been cut, affecting internet traffic, a Hong Kong telecoms company said; it was not immediately clear how they were damaged, but the area has been a site of conflict between Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and U.S. and partner efforts to target them (CNN)
Yemen’s government has previously warned that the rebels could target the cables, though the Houthis have denied such plans (AP)
Houthis Suspected of Firing a Rocket Off the Coast of Yemen
The Houthi rebel group allegedly fired a rocket off the side of a ship late on Tuesday night near the port city of Hodeida; the vessel’s crew is supposedly safe, with no injuries or deaths (AP)
U.S. Forces Shoot Down Six Houthi Drones
U.S. aircraft shot down six one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea; additionally, a U.K. vessel was attacked by the Houthis in the Gulf of Aden, but the ship encountered limited damage (NBC)
Additionally, the Houthis have gained more than two hundred thousand new fighters since the group began its attacks on shipping in the Red Sea in November in response to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza (Al Jazeera)
UN Shipping Chief Warns of Piracy Against Vessels Diverted From Red Sea
Some commercial ships avoiding the Red Sea due to attacks there by the Yemen-based Houthi rebel group could instead face a heightened risk of piracy using alternative routes, the head of the International Maritime Organization told shipping firms and governments; last month, a United Kingdom agency warned of two possible “pirate action groups” operating in the Indian Ocean (FT)
Houthi Attack Forces Crew to Abandon Cargo Ship
The attack appeared to be one of the most damaging so far in the Iran-backed Houthi fighters’ campaign to disrupt shipping in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea; it came as the EU announced it was launching a naval mission to safeguard freedom of navigation in the area (NYT)
NYT: U.S. Conducted Cyberattack on Iranian Vessel
The cyberattack targeted an Iranian vessel that was helping Yemen-based Houthi rebels pinpoint merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, an unnamed U.S. official told the New York Times; the attack was part of the Joe Biden administration’s response to an Iran-backed militia attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. soldiers last month (NYT)
U.S. Decision to Designate Houthi Rebels as a Terrorist Group Alarms the UN
The United Nations expressed concerns that the move, which imposes sanctions that will cut off funding and weapons supply to the rebel group, will have “potential adverse effects” on Yemen’s economy (Reuters)
Houthis Announce Attack on Cargo Ship in Red Sea
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said today that they targeted a ship as part of their ongoing campaign in the Red Sea; while they claimed it was a U.S. ship, a United Kingdom maritime trade agency tracking ships in the area said a Greek-owned carrier with a Marshall Islands flag carrying corn to Iran was hit by missiles in two incidents (Reuters)
U.S. Forces Conduct Seven Strikes Against Houthi Targets
The vessels and missiles targeted by U.S. forces were preparing attacks against ships in the Red Sea, Central Command said (Reuters)
Presidential Council Removes Current Prime Minister
The council did not give a reason for this change, but it comes amidst U.S.-backed coalition attacks against Houthi rebels; the new prime minister, Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak, aligns closely with Saudi Arabia (AP)
Houthis Promise Retaliation Following Joint U.S.-UK Strikes
A member of the Houthi Political Bureau warned that the attacks “will not go unanswered,” claiming that the group would “meet escalation with escalation” (WaPo)
U.S. Carries Out Retaliatory Strikes on Iran-Backed Groups in Yemen
U.S. and United Kingdom (UK) forces launched strikes against dozens of Houthi targets in Yemen in reaction to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping (NYT)
U.S. Central Command said it struck a Houthi cruise missile that was preparing to launch (CENTCOM)
Sullivan told CNN that Iran-backed militia attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria are “distinct but related” to those on shipping in the Red Sea; while top U.S. officials “are not looking to take the United States to war,” he said, they aim to respond to the attacks “with force and clarity” (CNN)
U.S. Forces Destroy Houthi Missile, Ten Unmanned Drones
U.S. Central Command said the Iran-backed Houthi rebels were preparing to launch the surface-to-air missile imminently (NYT)
Houthis Plan to Continue Red Sea Attacks
The Iran-aligned group said it would continue its attacks on U.S. and British warships until a ceasefire in Gaza is reached (Reuters)
Senior U.S., Chinese Officials to Discuss Houthis in Backchannel Talks
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will discuss Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping in bilateral talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Bangkok today and tomorrow, U.S. officials said; Washington has called for Beijing to pressure Tehran to rein in the attacks (WSJ)
FT: U.S. Asked China to Press Iran to Decrease Houthi Attacks
Senior U.S. officials have urged China to pressure Iran to rein in attacks by Houthi rebels on Red Sea shipping vessels, unnamed U.S. officials told the Financial Times; yesterday, China’s foreign ministry said it called for an end to “disturbance to civilian ships” in the waterway but also urged “relevant parties to avoid adding fuel to the fire,” in what appeared to be veiled criticism of recent U.S. and United Kingdom (UK) responsive attacks on the Houthis (FT)
U.S., UK Forces Carry Out New Round of Strikes on Houthi Sites
This is the second time the United States and the United Kingdom have coordinated retaliatory strikes in an effort to reduce Houthi militant attacks on shipping in the Red Sea (NPR)
Houthis Carry Out Third Attack on Commercial Ship in Three Days
Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired two missiles near a U.S.-owned ship that landed in nearby water, U.S. Central Command said (CENTCOM)
Speaking to reporters, U.S. President Joe Biden pledged that U.S. strikes on the Houthis would continue, and the U.S. military reported that it attacked Houthi anti-ship missiles that were preparing to launch from Yemen (CNN)
Meanwhile, a member of Houthi leadership told a Russian news outlet that ships that were not linked to Israel, such as those from China and Russia, would have safe passage in the Red Sea, AFP reported (AFP)
The Houthi attacks have caused many shipping companies to reroute vessels from the Red Sea, which accounts for around 15 percent of global sea traffic; China joined calls to ensure safe navigation in the passageway, calling on “all relevant parties” to protect it (FT)
United States Conducts Fresh Strikes, Adds Houthis Back to Terror List
The United States carried out strikes against the Houthis for the fourth time in a week; U.S. Central Command says its strikes targeted missiles that the group was preparing to fire (NYT)
The Biden administration said it plans to redesignate the Yemen-based Houthi rebels as terrorists; U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington would reevaluate the designation if the Houthis cease their attacks (WaPo)
U.S. Military Reports Houthi Strikes on U.S. Navy Ship, U.S.-Owned Cargo Vessel
A missile fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels hit a U.S.-owned commercial ship yesterday, one day after U.S. forces shot down a Houthi missile targeting a U.S. warship, Washington said; the attacks persist after the United States and United Kingdom (UK) launched a missile barrage late last week in response to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and nearby waterways that are disrupting a vital global trade route (NYT)
U.S. Central Command also said today that it seized Iranian-supplied weapons on January 11 that were bound for Houthi forces in Yemen (CENTCOM)