Mohammed Abdullah, reporting from Sana’a, Yemen
Attacks by Yemen’s Ansar Allah [Houthis] on ships in the Red Sea and beyond have decreased in recent weeks after a surge in strikes, raising questions about potential shifts in Iranian support for the group amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Israel. Analysts suggest this downturn may also be attributed to American and British military interventions, which may have depleted the Houthis’ arsenal of ballistic missiles and drones.
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi, in a video address on April 25, asserted that his group’s naval operations are continuing and vowed to expand attacks into the Indian Ocean. However, the tempo of those operations appears to have slowed.
The secretive leader claimed his forces had been targeting Israeli-linked ships at a rate of one every two days, totalling 102 ships during the 202-day Gaza conflict. He alleged these attacks financially burdened the US, with some insurance operations costing “50 million dollars.”
The Houthis claimed responsibility on April 24 for targeting both an American warship in the Gulf of Aden and an Israeli ship, the MSC VERACRUZ, in the Indian Ocean. The US military confirmed that a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile was fired towards a US-flagged vessel with 18 US and four Greek crew members aboard.
“There were no injuries or damage reported by US, coalition, or commercial ships,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
According to the US Maritime Administration’s latest update, there have been at least 53 separate Houthi attacks on commercial vessels and one Houthi seizure of a commercial vessel in these areas, affecting over 55 nations since November 19, 2023.
Shifting dynamics
The decline in Houthi attacks coincides with escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. On April 18, NBC News reported the return of the suspected Iranian spy ship MV Behshad, which allegedly aided Houthis in targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
Yemeni officials in the internationally recognised government believe the decline in Houthi naval attacks is a direct consequence of Iran scaling back its operational support. Osama Al-Sharmi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, asserts that the withdrawal of Iranian ships, particularly the “Behshad,” deprived the Houthis of vital targeting and control capabilities.
Humanitarian crisis
The ongoing conflict in Yemen has exacerbated one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Millions of Yemenis suffer from hunger and poverty, according to a recent World Bank report issued in February 2024, which added that this Arab state is one of the most food-insecure and possibly poorest countries in the world.
The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, urged on April 15 that Yemen cannot afford to become collateral damage in regional power struggles.
“Resolving the conflict in Yemen is not contingent upon the resolution of other issues. We cannot risk Yemen’s chance for peace becoming collateral damage. Yemeni people, including the seventeen million that remain dependent on humanitarian aid and for their survival, have suffered for too long already,” he added.
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