Aden, March 18 (IANS) Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi warned that maritime routes will remain a persistent source of regional tension as long as Houthi forces maintain control over Yemen’s coastal territories.
The statement came during Al-Alimi’s meeting with French Ambassador to Yemen Catherine Corm-Kammoun in the southern port city of Aden, where they discussed recent developments in the region, particularly the ongoing Houthi attacks on international shipping lanes, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the state-run Saba News Agency.
Al-Alimi underscored the need for the international community to adopt “punitive measures against the Houthi militias,” stressing that “the only way to end terrorist threats is through supporting the Yemeni government, a United Nations member, in restoring state institutions and asserting authority over all its territories.”
He also emphasised Yemen’s role as a strategic partner in securing maritime traffic and upholding international peace and security.
The Houthis now control most of the northern areas, including Sanaa and the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeidah. The internationally recognised Yemeni government, led by the Presidential Leadership Council since April 2022, mainly controls the southern and eastern regions, with Aden serving as the temporary capital.
The US military on Saturday evening launched a new wave of airstrikes on Houthi sites in northern Yemen, killing 53 people, including five children and two women.
It came as Trump vowed to continue air attacks until the Houthis stopped attacking international shipping lines and ships. He also warned the Houthis that if they do not stop their attacks “starting today … hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before.”
Following the US attacks, Houthi forces announced Monday they had targeted the USS Harry Truman in the northern Red Sea for the second time within 24 hours, claiming the assault involved multiple ballistic and cruise missiles, along with drones, in an engagement lasting several hours.
The US Navy has not yet issued a statement confirming or denying the alleged attack on its aircraft carrier.
The renewed conflict comes after Israel halted the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza on March 2, coinciding with the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
On March 11, the Houthi group announced that it would resume launching attacks against any Israeli ship in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait until the crossings of the Gaza Strip are reopened and aid allowed in.
From November 2023 to January 19, the Houthi group launched dozens of drone and rocket attacks against Israel-linked ships and Israeli cities to show solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The attacks later expanded to include US and British ships after the US-British navy coalition started to intervene, launching air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group.
–IANS
int/rs
