‘Largest Attack to Date’ – What is Happening in the Red Sea?

By Palestine Chronicle Staff

Ansarallah has retaliated against an earlier attack by US naval forces which killed ten members of the group ten days ago. This is what happened ..

On Tuesday, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps described a series of sophisticated attacks by the Yemeni Armed Forces – affiliated with the Ansarallah group – as “the largest attack by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea to date”.

Shapps, like other British, US and other Western officials, has purposely linked Iran to the attacks, despite the fact that there is no evidence that Iran is itself directly responsible for Ansarallah’s tactics in the Red Sea.

For weeks, the Yemeni group has attacked or captured ships on their way to or from the Israeli port of Eilat as a way to put pressure on Israel and its allies, to end the ongoing genocide in Gaza. 

Instead of pressuring Israel to end the war, a US-led coalition has instead galvanized in the Red Sea to protect Israeli ships from Ansarallah. 

There is little evidence that the American escalation near Bab Al-Mandab Strait has paid any dividends. On the contrary, more shipping companies have either refrained from going to Israel or decided to travel the much longer route, around the southern tip of Africa – rather than to risk Yemeni attacks. 

But what happened on Tuesday that made it the “largest attack .. to date”?

According to the UK-government-financed BBC, this is what has taken place,

– At 18:15 GMT on Tuesday, the US military claimed that, “Iranian-designed one-way attack drones, anti-ship cruise missiles and anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen towards international shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea.”

– 18 Ansarallah drones participated in the attack.

– Three missiles – two cruise missiles and one ballistic missile – were also fired, all allegedly shut down by F/A-18 warplanes from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower.

– HMS DIAMOND has also allegedly shut down seven Ansarallah drones using  Sea Viper missiles and guns. (Each missile alone costs $1.3million)

What is the Yemeni version of events?

The military spokesman for Ansarallah, Brigadier General Yahya Saree confirmed that Yemeni forces have launched a complex and well-coordinated operation in the Red Sea. 

According to the Brigadier General Saree, this is what has taken place, 

– A “large number of ballistic and naval missiles” were involved in the attack.

– The missiles and the drones “targeted a US ship that was providing support for the Zionist entity”.

–  “The operation came as an initial response to the treacherous assault on our naval forces by the US enemy forces.”

Ansarallah spokesman reiterated that the group will not “hesitate to adequately deal with all hostile threats as part of the legitimate right to defend our country, people and nation”.

He also confirmed that the Yemeni Resistance will continue to “prevent Israeli ships, or ships heading towards occupied Palestine from navigating in both the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea until the (Israeli) aggression (on Gaza) has come to an end and the blockade has been lifted”.

Even though Ansarallah had refrained from targeting any ship that does not do business with Israel, on December 31, US naval forces attacked three Ansarallah boats, killing ten members. 

Then, Ansarallah had vowed to retaliate to the American attack, leading to Tuesday confrontations.

(The Palestine Chronicle)