“News Agency: Suspected Houthi attack indicates expansion of operations… What’s Iran’s relationship?

Yemen Monitor/News Room

A senior official has said that the Houthi group may have carried out an attack on a ship, which is far from all their previous attacks in Aden Gulf, which could be part of an escalating trend by the group.

According to AFP, the attack comes as the US has sent the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower home after an eight-month deployment leading the US response to Houthi attacks.

The Houthi group attacks has reduced shipments through the vital route to Asian, Middle Eastern, and European markets as part of a campaign they claim will continue as long as the Israeli war on Gaza continues.

The attack occurred on Monday morning in Aden Gulf, 450 kilometers southeast of Nashtoon , a town in eastern Yemen near the borders with Oman, according to UKMTO.

This region has been under the control of forces allied with the Yemeni legitimate government, which has fought against Houthis since they took over the capital Sana’a in 2014.

The attack occurred near the northeastern coast of Yemen’s Socotra Island, which is also controlled by the allies of the Yemeni legitimate government.

Suspicion quickly fell on the Houthis, who did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack. It may take hours or even days for them to acknowledge it.

It is known that Somali pirates are also active in the region, although they usually seize ships to demand ransom rather than launch attacks on them.

However, the attack occurred near the outer limits of Aden Gulf where the Arabian Sea then merges into the Indian Ocean. Among more than 60 attacks launched by Houthis since November, this one will be one of the farthest.

In May, a Portuguese-flagged container ship was attacked by a drone in distant waters of the Arabian Sea in an attack claimed by Houthis. However, the distance struck raised questions about whether Iran, the main supporter of Houthis, was behind it.

Houthis claim that Iran launched attacks that were later evaluated, including a 2019 attack on Saudi oil fields, which temporarily reduced the country’s energy production to half.

Houthis have made a series of unverified claims that they targeted ships at greater distances, despite no independent confirmation of any of them.”