Houthi rebels target two more ships in waters around Yemen

Authorities on Tuesday said the rebels had used drones to target two commercial vessels near Yemen. One ship in the Red Sea suffered “slight damage” to windows on the ship’s bridge, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. The UKMTO said the rebels then targeted another ship in the Gulf of Aden, but that attack did not result in either injuries or damages.

Why does this matter? The United States and the United Kingdom have been conducting joint strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in response to their attacks in recent months against nearby commercial shipping vessels, most recently over the weekend. The rebels have vowed to continue attacking ships despite responses from British and U.S. forces. The American Central Command said it struck two “explosive uncrewed surface vehicles” Monday in a Houthi-controlled territory of Yemen.

Are other Iran-backed groups continuing their attacks? The Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for a Sunday attack that killed at least six Kurdish fighters at a base in eastern Syria that also housed U.S. soldiers. It was the first reported attack against U.S. forces since the United States destroyed roughly 80 targets across seven locations in Iraq and Syria earlier in the weekend. Pentagon spokesman Major Gen. Pat Ryder on Monday said that the United States would be continuing its strikes against Iran-backed groups in the region, but did not want a wider war in the region.

Dig deeper: Read A.S. Ibrahim’s column in WORLD Opinions answering the question, “Who are the Houthis?”