Yemen Monitor/Sana’a/Exclusive:
Al Arabiya television reported on Monday that the Pentagon is reviewing its plans to counter the Houthis, opting to focus on protecting navigation rather than weakening Houthi capabilities.
This comes about a week after the aircraft carrier Eisenhower left the Red Sea.
Al Arabiya sources at the Pentagon said that US plans to protect navigation without an aircraft carrier, relying instead on partner forces operating in the US Central Command area.
“Yemen Monitor” was unable to reach the Pentagon for comment.
On Monday, the Houthis announced the targeting of four ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean.
Since the end of last year, the Houthis have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea the Gulf of Aden, and recently they have expanded their operations to the Indian Ocean. They said they were targeting ships linked to Israel, which is waging a brutal attack on Gaza Strip. However, the Yemeni government and experts say the Houthis’ targets are domestic to escape internal crises and improve their image in the region.
In response, US and Britain have been carrying out an air campaign against Iran-backed Houthi group since January 11. As a result, the Houthis have announced the expansion of their operations to include US and British ships.
Since November, the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) has recorded more than 190 attacks on US commercial or military ships off the coast of Yemen, including nearly 100 attacks since the start of US air strikes on Yemeni lands.
