The threat of Houthi unmanned explosives-laden boats

by Shay, Shaul (Dr.)

The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed an unmanned explosives-laden boat launched from Yemen by the Iran-aligned Houthi group on September 19, 2019, an incident that could further increase regional tensions after the attack on Saudi oil installations. Since 2017, in fact, there have been several reports of attacks or discovery of these unmanned explosive vessels in the country.

“The coalition’s naval forces detected an attempt by the terrorist Houthi militia backed by Iran to carry out an imminent act of aggression and terrorism south of the Red Sea using an unmanned, rigged boat … launched from Hodeidah province,” coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said in a statement. Malki said that the foiled attack represented a threat to regional and international security and the safety of maritime routes and international trade. He did not specify the intended target.[1]

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Source: ict.org.il

Coalition destroys explosive-laden Houthi boat

RIYADH — The Arab Coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen said on Thursday that it intercepted and destroyed an explosive-laden boat launched by Yemen’s Houthis from Hodeidah port.

Col. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman of the coalition, said that the naval forces of the coalition spotted on Thursday morning an attempt by the Iran-backed terrorist Houthi militia to carry out an imminent hostile and terrorist act in the south of the Red Sea by using a booby-trapped boat and a drone launched from the Hodeidah governorate.

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Source: saudigazette.com.sa

Houthis Obstruct Oil Tankers to Threaten Maritime Security

Asma al-Ghabri

The Iran-backed Houthi militias’ refusal to implement a legitimate Yemen government order on collecting customs fees on all oil derivative revenues at Hodeidah port has led the halt of ten vessels in the Red Sea.

At Houthi orders, the oil tankers did not pay the revenues and did not disclose the certificate of origin of the shipment that ensures its legality.

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Source: aawsat.com

Saudi Arabia moves to secure Yemen Red Sea ports after UAE drawdown

Aziz El Yaakoubi, Mohamed Ghobari

DUBAI/ADEN (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s military in Yemen has moved in to secure two strategic Red Sea ports and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait after its leading ally the United Arab Emirates substantially reduced its presence there, four sources familiar with the matter said.

The UAE has drawn down its numbers in some parts of Yemen, where it had set up large bases amid a four-year-old multi-layered war that is widely seen as a proxy battle between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.

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Source: reuters.com

Saudi-led coalition says it foiled Red Sea ship attack, Houthis deny

RIYADH (Reuters) – Naval forces from the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen foiled an attempted attack on an unidentified commercial ship in the southern Red Sea on Monday by the Iran-aligned Houthis, which the group denied.

Spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said the Western-backed military alliance had destroyed an unmanned boat laden with explosives which the militants had used for the attack, Saudi state news agency SPA reported without providing more details.

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Source: reuters.com

Anti-piracy patrol targets Yemen fishermen

BySAEED AL-BATATI, QUSAYIR, YEMEN

A global anti-piracy task force deployed in the Arabian Sea to protect shipping lanes has engaged in invasive and violent searches and seizures of small Yemeni fishing vessels with apparent impunity, fishermen told Asia Times.

Multiple fishermen from Yemen’s southeastern province of Hadramout say international warships, most recently from the Indian navy, have targeted them in deep water and sometimes even in Yemen’s territorial waters. The perceived harassment has spread panic in fishing communities along the Yemeni coast, compelling many to shorten their voyages and others to abandon the profession entirely – some even taking up arms in the war.

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Source: asiatimes.com

Houthis Stage Series of Attacks in Hodeidah ahead of UN Team Visit

Saeed al-Abyad

The Iran-backed Houthi militias have been trying to lure army forces deployed to the outskirts of the coastal city of Hodeidah into armed confrontation.

Analysts said the militias are plotting to break the UN-brokered Stockholm agreement, which was signed last December.

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Source: aawsat.com

Houthis attack pro-gov’t military base in Yemen’s Hodeidah

ADEN, Yemen, March 13 (Xinhua) — Fighters of the Houthi group launched a missile attack against a pro-government military base in Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Wednesday evening, causing huge blasts, a security official told Xinhua.

The security source said on anonymity that “a missile fired by the Houthi rebels landed on Abu Musa Ashary army base in Alkhokha district of Hodeidah, killing two soldiers and injuring 18 others at the scene.”

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Source: xinhuanet.com