Supply Lines: Red Sea Update

According to the Bloomberg, Red Sea shipping diversions may last a few more months, and some people think they could go on even longer.

That’s among the takeaways from the CEO of Hapag-Lloyd, the world’s No. 5 container line, in an interview Thursday on Bloomberg TV. Rolf Habben Jansen was speaking as the Hamburg, Germany-based company announced 2023 earnings that showed a steep drop in revenue and profits from a year earlier.

Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea have disrupted supply chains since mid-December 2023, forcing carriers to change routes and redo schedules — adjustments that have helped absorb excess capacity.

As a result, they’re burning more fuel and taking longer to deliver, with some needing to purchase more containers given the extended routes. The added costs are getting past along to customers.

The longer routes around southern Africa initially boosted spot container rates but those are coming down, Jansen said. “The services are stabilizing, which also means that the market is getting calmer.”

He indicated, though, that there’s no telling when the Red Sea will be safe enough to transit again.

“We hope that we’re going to be able to go back through in a couple of months,” Jansen said. “But I know there are also people that think that it will last quite a while longer.”

In the medium term, excess capacity may return to weigh on freight rates. Hapag-Lloyd expects the market to remain difficult for carriers given the large number of ship deliveries this year, Jansen said in the company’s 2023 annual report.

Sharing that view was Zim Integrated Shipping CEO Eli Glickman, who spoke on a conference call on Wednesday. “Once the Red Sea crisis is resolved, we will likely revert to the supply-demand scenario that began to play out in ‘23, setting up a more challenging third and fourth quarter of 2024 for the industry, including us,” he said.

It’s not just the shipping companies facing a tough environment. World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told Bloomberg in an interview that “the risks are all on the downside.”

But corporate supply chains have gotten more resilient and flexible. Here’s a rundown of comments that a few big shippers and a major port operator have offered this week:

Samsonite CFO Reza Taleghani: “So if you think about things you read about in the news, shipping delays, Red Sea, et cetera, we are just fine. We have inventory exactly where we need it to be. All of our facilities, even if there is a week or two delays, not that big of a deal.”

Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden: “We have a little bit of headwind in freight in the first half because of the Red Sea situation, and as you know, if the freight companies have a chance to do something they increase prices. That should normalize and then the rest of everything that has to do with margin is going in the right direction.”

Williams-Sonoma CEO Laura Alber: “When a problem comes along, they’re real. The Red Sea disruption is pretty terrible. However, it is not costing us any more money. So far it is costing us about 10 days of delivery, give or take. And as I mentioned last time, we padded the deliveries to our customers once we heard about it, so we didn't disappoint them.”

DP World Group Chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem: “Despite the uncertain start to 2024 with the ongoing Red Sea crisis, our portfolio has continued to demonstrate resilience. The outlook remains uncertain due to the challenging geopolitical and economic environment.”

 

Yemen hits Israeli vessel and US warships

The spokesperson for the Sanaa government’s armed forces has announced that Ansarullah has carried out more operations in support of Gaza, targeting an Israeli container ship and US warships.

The latest attacks come as US officials acknowledge the American and British bombardment of Yemen over the past seven weeks has been made difficult due to insufficient US intelligence on Ansarullah’s arsenal and capabilities. 

Earlier, the British security firm Ambrey said a container ship was struck and issued a distress signal. The vessel was identified as a Liberia-flagged, Israeli-affiliated container ship en route to Djibouti. 

“The vessel was listed as operated by the Israeli company ZIM Integrated Shipping Services,” Ambrey added.  

Ansarullah said the targeting of the Israeli container ship occurred alongside the execution of a qualitative operation involving ballistic missiles, drones against several American warships in the Red Sea.

Ansarullah’s military spokesman, Colonel Yahya Saree, noted in a brief statement that Ansarullah’s armed forces struck the Israeli ship MSC SKY in the Arabian Sea using several naval missiles, confirming that the hit was accurate and direct.

In a press release, the Container Group MSC acknowledged one of its vessels has been hit by a missile while sailing in waters off Yemen. 

The Swiss headquartered operator MSC stated on Tuesday that the Israeli container ship will proceed with its voyage to Djibouti for further assessment after being struck by a missile on March 04 near Yemen’s southern region of Aden. 

The statement further read, “The missile caused a small fire that has been extinguished while no crew were injured.”

Saree revealed that the targeting of the Israeli ship came after the execution of what he described as a qualitative operation during which the Yemeni missile force and air force launched a number of ballistic missiles and drones against several American warships in the Red Sea. 

Saree pointed out that these operations show the capability of Ansarullah’s armed forces to target both combat and non-combat ships simultaneously.

He emphasized that the movement’s operations are escalating and ongoing in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab el Mandeb strait, with the aim of preventing Israeli navigation or vessels heading to the occupied Palestinian ports until the cessation of Israeli aggression and the lifting of the blockade on the Palestinian people of Gaza.

He affirmed that the Yemeni armed forces will not hesitate to carry out more military operations in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea against all hostile targets in defense of Yemen, and as a confirmation of support for the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Ansarullah reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safe movement of navigation in the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the Bab el Mandeb strait for all ships, except Israeli vessels and those heading to the occupied ports, until the cessation of aggression on Gaza. 

Recently, the targets have also included American and British ships and warships due to the US-British aggression on Yemen. 

The Sanaa government has blacklisted the US and Britain as states hostile to Yemen. 

The American and British militaries responded to the Yemeni naval embargo on Israeli navigation in the Red Sea on January 12 by bombing sites across Yemeni provinces that Washington says belong to Ansarullah in a bid to deter the movement from its maritime operations. 

The airstrikes by the US and the UK have continued on a regular basis over the past seven weeks but have failed to deter the Sana’a government from enforcing a ban on Israeli navigation. 

Instead, US and British warships and vessels have found themselves the target of Ansarullah’s range of fire. 

Current and former American officials have told the Financial Times that the US military’s attempts to halt Yemen-based operations in the Red Sea are being strongly hindered by insufficient intelligence about Ansarullah’s arsenal and its full capabilities.

Washington has also been unable to assess the damage caused by its airstrikes on Yemen, according to the paper. 

Ted Singer, a recently retired senior CIA official, told the Financial Times that acquiring on-the-ground intelligence has been more difficult since the U.S. evacuated its embassy in Sanaa in 2015. 

Just days ago, the Ansarullah leader Seyyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, warned the Israeli regime, the US, and Britain of surprises that will begin soon, while emphasizing that Yemenis continue to prevent ships heading to the occupier entity through Bab el Mandeb until the aggression on Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted.

The Sana government's foreign ministry says all Yemeni-based naval operations will come to a halt as soon as a ceasefire is reached in Gaza, and humanitarian aid is allowed into the enclave. 

 

MEI Outlines Expanded US Role to Counter Houthi Red Sea Strikes

The Middle East Institute’s (MEI) Defense and Security Program published a memorandum, addressed to US President Joseph R. Biden, recommending an expanded role for the United States in countering the threat posed to global shipping by the targeting of vessels in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi militia. 

The memo, “A Strategy for Countering the Houthi Threat at Sea,” comes in response to the over 30 strikes conducted by Yemen’s Houthi militia on cargo and other vessels transiting the Red Sea since mid-November. It is co-authored by five members of MEI’s Defense and Security Program, including program Director Bilal Y. Saab, Vice Admiral (ret.) Kevin Donegan, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Mick Mulroy, Lieutenant General (ret.) Sam Mundy, and General (ret.) Joseph L. Votel.

The authors call for a continuation of retaliatory strikes by the United States and United Kingdom against Houthi leadership and infrastructure, but argue this strategy is insufficient, and proceed to offer several additional recommendations for the US to protect shipping and counter Iran’s malign activities in the region.

“For the first time in four decades, a core US interest in the region on which successive American presidents have based US Middle East policy — freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce — is increasingly at risk,” said Bilal Saab.

“In our memo to President Biden, we propose a strategy to effectively and sustainably counter the Houthi threat at sea.”

Among the recommendations is the establishment of an interagency effort led by US Central Command (CENTCOM) to deny the Houthis the ability to target Red Sea vessels, including through efforts to interdict Iran’s smuggling of arms to the group as well as through continued strikes on Houthi infrastructure and leadership.

The memo calls on the Biden administration to allow the US 5th Fleet Commander to assert “collective self-defense” of US flagged, owned, crewed, or operated vessels, or ships requesting US protection while transiting the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden. Additionally, the authors call for increased funding for added unmanned surveillance vessels (USV) to patrol Red Sea waters. 

Though calling for an expanded US role, the recommendations also draw attention to international tools at the United States’ disposal, such as partnerships with European and Arab allies, as well as re-investment in the UN Verification Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) tasked with monitoring and facilitating commercial flows to Yemen.

Are United States and Iran already at war?

More than 160 attacks on the US troops in Iraq, Syria and Jordan, 37 clashes in the Red Sea with the Houthis, and now five dead US service members — America’s mounting proxy battle with Iran over the past three months is spurring questions about whether the countries are at war. 

It’s also raising questions about whether the US can continue to hit back at Iranian-backed militia groups without seeking congressional authorization. 

The Biden administration argues it has successfully contained the Israeli war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas to Gaza, and that there is not a wider conflict. But the sheer number of attacks on US forces points to tensions spinning out of control. 

It is already a larger conflict. It’s a question of degrees, Robert Murrett, a retired Navy vice admiral, said. But the fighting is not out of control yet, according to Murrett. 

“Calling it a war is probably overstating things,” Murrett, now a professor at Syracuse University, said. “But the tensions, the hostilities that exist between Iran and the US are at the highest level they’ve been for some time.” 

The tit-for-tat battles reached a boiling point after a Sunday attack in Jordan, which the US has said likely came from an Iranian-backed militia group in Iraq, Kata’ib Hezbollah. A suicide drone exploded in a housing unit at the Tower 22 base near Iraq and Syria, killing three Army soldiers.

The US also lost two sailors during a covert mission off the coast of Somalia to intercept Iranian missiles bound for the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. While the mission was a success, two sailors died after falling into the rough waters. 

 

The deaths sparked mourning across the US and calls for more action, particularly among Republicans, some of whom urged Biden to strike back inside Iran.

Washington is already deploying significant resources to defend ships in the Red Sea from the Houthis and carry out airstrikes in Yemen and Iraq, none of which have deterred the militia groups from attacking. 

Courtesy: The Hill

 

 

US-led attacks on Yemen an exercise in futility

The United States and British operations against Houthi militants threatening ships in the Red Sea are making matters worse, China’s envoy to the European Union warned.

“They can only escalate the tension and it’ll not guarantee or maintain the safe passage of the commercial vessels,” Fu Cong said in an interview with Bloomberg. “It’ll even make the passage more dangerous.”

US Central Command forces conducted military strikes Wednesday against two Houthi anti-ship missiles, the latest in a series of efforts to diminish the group’s ability disrupt trade.

Hundreds of vessel operators that cross the Red Sea to access the Suez Canal as they move cargo between Asia, the US and Europe are avoiding the shortcut and taking the longer southern route around Africa.

It’s a massive diversion that’s delaying delivery of billions of dollars in goods, adding to costs and carbon emissions, and fueling fears of broader economic fallout, according to today’s Bloomberg Big Take. 

As the US and UK naval operations continue, the EU is moving ahead with its own plans to established a naval operation in the Red Sea to protect commercial shipping, but it’s still working out the details.

Fu, who is China’s top envoy in Brussels, said the Houthi attacks are a spillover from the Gaza crisis, where Israel has conducted its own military operations against Hamas militants who attacked, kidnapped and killed Israeli citizens on October 07, 2023.

Fu urged the international community, and the US in particular, to exercise more leverage or pressure on the Israeli authorities to stop the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza and in particular the civilians.

“Common sense will tell us that by escalating the tension, you will only aggravate the situation and you cannot resolve the problem with the approach that the US and UK are taking,” Fu said.

Courtesy: Bloomberg

US and British forces no longer can pass Bab el-Mandeb Strait, declares Yemen

Yemen  has declared that the US and British forces can no longer pass through the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait as tensions grow in the region following US-led military strikes.

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the political bureau of the Ansarullah resistance movement, issued the warning on Monday after the United States and its allies bombed Yemen amid frustration with anti-Israel naval operations in the Red Sea.

He said that the Yemeni armed forces are developing their missile capabilities to bring new surprises soon.

“The American and British forces can no longer pass through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait,” a sea route chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and by extension the Indian Ocean, he added.

“The Axis of Resistance has regained control over the region. The Americans will regret their acts of aggression against Yemen and they will be a loser.”

The US and Britain, backed by Bahrain, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands, struck more than 60 targets at almost 30 locations in Yemen on Friday, killing five people and injuring six others.

On Saturday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that a follow-on action was conducted against a Yemeni radar facility by the Navy destroyer USS Carney using Tomahawk land attack missiles.

Bukhaiti said that the Yemeni forces are capable of confronting the Americans and that they will block the passage of US and Israeli ships through the Red Sea.

Earlier on Monday, the Yemeni forces hit a US-owned container ship with a ballistic missile off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden.

Centcom said that the attack on the Gibraltar Eagle caused no injuries or significant damage and that the vessel is continuing its journey.

The operation occurred two hours after another ballistic missile was fired toward the southern Red Sea.

Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, said all American and British ships and warships participating in the aggression are hostile targets.

The US has offered untrammeled support for Israel during the onslaught that has so far killed more than 24,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 60,834 others.

In solidarity with the Palestinians in besieged Gaza, the Yemeni armed forces have targeted ships in the Red Sea with owners linked to Israel or those going to and from ports in the occupied territories.

In response, the US has formed a military coalition against Yemeni forces in the Red Sea and endangered maritime navigation in the strategic waterway.

  

Saudi Arabia urges restraint after US and UK target Yemen

Saudi Arabia is closely monitoring with deep concern the ongoing military operations in the Red Sea region after the United States and Britain carried out massive air strikes in Yemen, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Friday.

"The Kingdom underscores the critical importance of maintaining security and stability in the Red Sea area, which is internationally recognized for its strategic significance in global navigation, directly impacting the interests of the entire world."

In light of the ongoing regional events, Saudi Arabia called for restraint and urged all parties involved to avoid any escalation, emphasizing the need for a peaceful resolution to maintain the area's stability and security.

United States and British militaries bombed more than a dozen sites in Yemen on Thursday, in a massive retaliatory strike using warship- and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, US officials said.

The military targets included air defense and coastal radar sites, drone and missile storages and launching pads.

US President Joe Biden stated that the air strikes were to demonstrate that the US and its allies “will not tolerate” the militant group’s continuous attacks in the Red Sea. He clarified that the decision was made after diplomatic negotiations and careful deliberations.

“These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea — including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history,” Biden said.

He said these attacks endangered US personnel and civilian mariners and jeopardized trade. “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary," he added.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak noted that the Royal Air Force conducted targeted strikes against military facilities used by the Houthis. The Defense Ministry revealed that four fighter jets based in Cyprus participated in the strikes.

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry has refuted rumors regarding the presence of foreign forces at King Fahd Air Base in Taif. Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki, the ministry’s spokesperson, said these rumors were false, Al Arabiya reported early on Friday.

Ali al-Qahoum, a high-ranking Houthi official, vowed retaliation, stating, “The battle will be bigger... and beyond the imagination and expectation of the Americans and the British.”

Al-Masirah, a Houthi-run satellite news channel, reported strikes hitting various strategic locations, including the Al-Dailami Air Base north of Sanaa, the airport in the port city of Hodeida, a camp east of Saada, the airport in the city of Taiz, and an airport near Hajjah.

United States adamant at stopping ships entering Red Sea

After the latest attacks at Yemen on Saturday, it has become evident that United States and its allies, particularly Britain, are adamant at stopping ships passing through Red Sea. The strikes at Yemen are aimed at opening a new front in the Middle East and take attention away from ongoing genocide in Gaza by Israel.

It is necessary to understand why United States is targeting Yemen. For a long time US has fought a proxy war in Yemen. After the resumption of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran and Saudi refusal to join the US-led naval force, United States wants to target Yemen.

It may be recalled that ships had resumed journey through Red Sea, which was not appreciated by United States. Therefore, it raised false flag of attacks on ships by Houthis to create a justification of attacks on Yemen.

Readers can recall the US hoax call of presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq to pave way for attack on the country. Even at that time British Prime Minister, Toney Blair was the mouthpiece of US President George Bush.

 According to Associated Press (AP), the US military early Saturday struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that it had determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk.

The latest strike came after the US Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours after the initial airstrikes.

The warning came as Yemen’s Houthis vowed fierce retaliation, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel’s war in Gaza.

 “We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior along with our allies,” Biden told reporters during a stop in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.

US Lawmakers Slam Strikes on Yemen

US lawmakers said Thursday that the Biden administration's barrage of airstrikes in Yemen—launched in coordination with American allies but without congressional approval—was blatantly unconstitutional and dangerous, heightening the risk of a full-blown regional conflict, reports Common Dreams.

"This is illegal and violates Article I of the Constitution," Cori Bush wrote on social media following the strikes. "The people do not want more of our taxpayer dollars going to endless war and the killing of civilians. Stop the bombing and do better by us."

The Biden administration said the airstrikes, which it characterized as a response to Houthi attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea, hit more than 60 targets in Yemen. Administration officials reportedly briefed congressional leaders on its plans to bomb Yemen, but there was no formal authorization from lawmakers.

"This is an unacceptable violation of the Constitution," said Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. "Article 1 requires that military action be authorized by Congress."

Rashida Tlaib echoed Jayapal, writing that US President Joe Biden is "violating Article I of the Constitution by carrying out airstrikes in Yemen without congressional approval."

"The American people are tired of endless war," Tlaib added.

Article I of the Constitution states that Congress has the power to declare war, and the War Powers Resolution (WPR) of 1973 seeks to constrain the president's ability to take unilateral military action. As Brian Egan and Tess Bridgeman have explained, the War Powers Resolution "does not authorize the president to use force," calling the belief that it does "a common misperception."

"It takes a limited view of the president's authority to introduce US armed forces into such situations in the absence of congressional authorization or an attack on the United States," Egan and Bridgeman noted.

The WPR states that, within 48 hours of a military action, the president must deliver a report to Congress explaining the rationale and legal authority under which such an action was launched. The statute clarifies that the president can only take military action under three circumstances: "(1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces."

In a statement, US President Joe Biden called the Yemen strikes defensive, signaling the administration's intention to invoke Article II of the Constitution as its legal foundation for Thursday's bombing campaign. Article II designates the president as commander-in-chief of the U.S. armed forces, and it has been used by multiple administrations as a blank check for military action.

Yemen's Houthis have been targeting ships in the Red Sea since October, when Israel launched its devastating assault on the Gaza Strip in response to a deadly Hamas-led attack.

The Houthis say they are acting to prevent genocide by blockading ships headed for Israel.

The US and allied nations have been working to repel Houthi attacks on commercial vessels since October, shooting down Houthi drones and missiles and sinking Houthi ships in the Red Sea.

The White House said Thursday that Houthi attacks on commercial shipping have had very little impact on the US economy.

Stephen Miles, the president of Win Without War, called the US strikes on Yemen "deeply troubling," arguing that "it's an action clearly at odds with both the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution."

"Congressional authorization isn't some sort of courtesy, it's a legal requirement for this kind of act," Miles wrote. "And since we're all about to hear a whole lot about 'self-defense' let's be very clear.

Under the WPR, presidents are required to seek authorization before knowingly introducing US forces into where combat may become imminent. It was written expressly for situations like this."

Barbara Lee said Thursday that the worsening cycle of violence in the Middle East is why she "called for a cease-fire early."

"Violence only begets more violence," Lee added. "We need a cease-fire now to prevent deadly, costly, catastrophic escalation of violence in the region."

 

United States and Britain strike Yemen

United States and British warplanes, ships and submarines launched dozens of air strikes across Yemen overnight, widening regional conflict stemming from Israel's war in Gaza.

According to Reuters, witnesses confirmed explosions at military bases near airports in the capital Sanaa and Yemen's third city Taiz, a naval base at the main Red Sea port Hodeidah and military sites in the coastal Hajjah governorate.

"These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation," said US President Joe Biden.

The Houthis said five of their fighters had been killed in a total of 73 air strikes, and that they would retaliate and continue their attacks on shipping, which they describe as intended to support Palestinians against Israel.

The commander of US air operations in the Middle East, Air Force Lieutenant-General Alex Grynkewich, said 60 targets at 16 separate locations had been hit using more than 100 precision-guided munitions.

A US official said the targets were not just symbolic but intended to weaken the Houthis' ability to attack, "We were going after very specific capability in very specific locations with precision munitions."

In a country only just emerging from nearly a decade of war that brought millions of people to the brink of famine, morning brought long queues at petrol stations from people fearing an extended new conflict with the West.

According to an AP Report, Houthi spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, in a videotaped address on Friday said “American and British enemy bears full responsibility for its criminal aggression against our Yemeni people, and it will not go unanswered and unpunished.” He described 73 strikes hitting five regions of Yemen under Houthi control.

The strikes marked the first US military response on Yemeni soil since attacks on commercial ships of Israeli origins and ships carrying goods to/ from Israel. Houthis have avoided attacking other commercial ships.

President Joe Biden said the strikes were meant to demonstrate that the US and its allies will not tolerate the ceaseless Red Sea attacks. And he said they only made the move after attempts at diplomatic negotiations and careful deliberation.

 

US allies reluctant to join Red Sea task force

The response to the mantra of US President Joe Biden regarding formation of response force to Yemen's Houthi attacks on ships passing through Red Sea is disappointing. It seems many allies don't want to be associated with it, publicly, or at all.

Two of America's European allies who were listed as contributors to Operation Prosperity Guardian - Italy and Spain - issued statements appearing to distance themselves from the maritime force.

The Pentagon says the force is a defensive coalition of more than 20 nations to ensure billions of dollars' worth of commerce can flow freely through a vital shipping chokepoint in Red Sea waters off Yemen.

Nearly half of those countries have so far not come forward to acknowledge their contributions or allowed the US to do so. Those contributions can range from dispatching warships to merely sending a staff officer.

The reluctance of some US allies to link themselves to the effort partly reflects the fissures created by the conflict in Gaza, which has seen Biden maintain firm support for Israel even as international criticism rises over its offensive, which Gaza's health ministry says has killed more than 21,000 Palestinians.

"European governments are very worried that part of their potential electorate will turn against them," said David Hernandez, a professor of international relations at the Complutense University of Madrid, noting that the European public is increasingly critical of Israel and wary of being drawn into a conflict.

Reportedly, Houthis have been alleged for attacking or seizing a dozen ships with missiles and drones since November 19.

The navies of the United States, Britain and France have each shot down Houthi-launched drones or missiles.

The US believes escalating Houthi attacks call for an international response separate from the conflict raging in Gaza.

However, this kind of propaganda is being highlighted in US sponsored/ supported media. It may be recalled that Hothis has announced to target Israeli ships of vessels carrying to and from Israel.

Denmark's giant container firm Maersk said on Saturday it would resume shipping operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. But Germany's Hapag Lloyd said on Wednesday it still believes the Red Sea is too dangerous and will continue to send ships around the Cape of Good Hope.

While the US says 20 countries have signed up for its maritime task force, it has announced the names of only 12.

Although Britain, Greece and others have publicly embraced the US operation, several mentioned in the US announcement were quick to say they are not directly involved.

Italy's defense ministry said that it would send a ship to the Red Sea following requests from Italian ship owners and not as part of the US operation.

France said it supports efforts to secure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea but that its ships would remain under French command.

Spain has said it will not join Operation Prosperity Guardian and opposes using an existing EU anti-piracy mission, Atalanta, to protect Red Sea shipping.

But on Wednesday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was willing to consider the creation of a different mission to tackle the problem.

Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates earlier proclaimed no interest in the venture.

There is also the risk that participating countries become subject to Houthi retaliation. The person familiar with the US administration's thinking says that it is this risk - rather disagreements over Gaza - driving some countries to steer clear of the effort.

That appears to be the case for India, which is unlikely to join the US operation, according to a senior Indian military official. An Indian government official said the government worries that aligning itself with the US could make it more of a target.

In reality, many European and Gulf countries already participate in one of several US-led military groups in the Middle East, including the 39-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).

The EU's Atalanta operation already cooperates in a reciprocal relationship with CMF, according to a spokesperson for the group.

That means that some countries not formally joining the Red Sea maritime task force could still coordinate patrols with the US Navy.

Importance of Bab el-Mandeb

"Peace with the (Zionist) Jews is in Confrontation, Not in Shaking Hands with Them". This was the title of an article featured on Yemen’s Almaseera website on October 06, just a day before Hamas launched an attack on the southern occupied territories. 

This title serves as a window into Yemen's stance, the ongoing actions of the Ansarullah Movement, and their reaction to Israel’s bloodshed in the Gaza Strip.

On October 31, merely three days following Israel's ground offensive in northern Gaza, Yemen directed a barrage of missiles and drones at the southernmost point of the Israeli-occupied territories, specifically targeting Eilat port.

Following this incident, Yemen made a bold announcement, vowing not to permit Israeli and Israeli-bound vessels safe passage through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea.

On November 19, Yemenis reported the seizure of the commercial ship Galaxy Leader, diverting its course towards Yemeni shores, marking the beginning of multiple Yemeni attacks on commercial ships en route to Israeli ports.

The international maritime community has been quick to react, with numerous shipping and cargo companies announcing the suspension of transit through the Red Sea due to what they refer to as Ansarullah’s threats.

Looking at the world map, the significance of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in international maritime transport becomes apparent.

Located between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, Bab el-Mandeb stands as one of the most strategic maritime chokepoints worldwide.

After the Strait of Hormuz and Malacca, it is the largest and most pivotal route for oil transportation, with over 6 million barrels of oil, about 4% of the world's total oil flow, passing through daily, mainly bound for Europe. Beyond oil, 30% of the world's natural gas trade traverses this passage.

Passing through this maritime route significantly shortens the shipping routes for vessels circumventing the African continent to reach the Indian Ocean and countries in East and Southeast Asia.

It is a highly desirable and cost-effective route for international shipping and maritime transport companies.

Experts argue that the passage through Bab el-Mandeb reduces transportation costs by at least 15%. Given these considerations, any threat in this strait poses a severe challenge to shipping companies and, consequently, governments.

Increased insurance costs for these shipping companies, coupled with rising oil prices in destination countries and the impact on other commodities in the long term, are undesirable outcomes for any nation.

 

Iran rejects US naval task force for Red Sea

Iran’s defense minister has dismissed US plan to form a marine task force in the Red Sea with the apparent goal of defending vessels headed toward Israel.

Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani issued a severe warning to the United States in statements that were made public stressing that there is no space in the region for foreigners to move around and establish a presence.

He also expressed confidence that the United States would never do such a foolish conduct since it would generate a slew of complications.

“Americans would not definitely do such a thing. If they intend to do such a foolish act, they will face plenty of problems,” the Iranian official warned.  

Following a string of Yemeni attacks on ships that were either Israeli-owned or sailing toward the occupied Palestinian territories, the Pentagon announced last week that it was prepared to assist in the formation of a maritime task force to safeguard commerce shipping in the Red Sea. This announcement prompted the warning.

National security advisor to President Joe Biden, Jake Sullivan, stated on December 04 that such patrols or escorts could be the proper reaction to ships being targeted in the region.

The US has hinted that a number of important countries have shown interest in joining the maritime task force.

Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance movement dismissed US plans to form a maritime task force in the Red Sea, saying the group has numerous stinging pressure leverages that can be activated in the strategic body of water.

“We have stinging pressure leverages against the countries that will participate in the coalition in the Red Sea against Yemen,” said Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of Ansarullah's political bureau.

Earlier this month, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman rejected British accusations that Iran was involved in a spate of attacks targeting Israeli vessels in the Red Sea, calling the claims baseless and politically motivated. 

“These claims are raised with specific political motives and indicate the efforts of the British authorities to distort the realities of the region and their susceptibility to the preferences of third parties, including the child-killing Zionist regime,” Nasser Kanaani said.

He added that such provocative statements by London pose a threat to regional and international stability. 

“As we have stated clearly before, the resistance groups in the region do not take orders from the Islamic Republic of Iran to confront and respond to the war crimes and genocide of the Zionist regime. These groups make their own decisions based on their principles, priorities, and interests of their country and people.”

Kanaani also advised the British authorities to focus their energy on bringing an end to the Israeli war crimes in Gaza, instead of coming up with baseless accusations. 

Yemenis have declared open support for Palestine’s struggle against Israeli occupation since the regime launched a devastating war on Gaza on October 07 in response to the territory’s Palestinian resistance movements carrying out a surprise retaliatory attack against the occupying entity, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.

 

Yemen one of the key resistance in Gaza war

When Israel began its deadly attacks on Gaza, few thought that Yemen would become one of the key players in this war. The intervention of Ansar Allah of Yemen in the recent war is subject to several considerations and analyses.

One dimension of this intervention is economic. In fact, Ansar Allah has opened the third economic front against Israel.

The first front is related to Gaza. Tel Aviv has called up 360,000 reserve forces in attacking Gaza, and tens of thousands have also left southern Israel.

On the second front, Hezbollah's movements in northern Israel have also paralyzed the economy of this region.

The economic costs on these two fronts have been high for the regime. Official sources in Israel have admitted that the country's economy has shrunk by 15% in the last three months of the year.

The tourism industry has almost stopped, and retail has also declined significantly. The unemployment rate has reached about 10%, while in the month before October, this rate was less than 4%.

Ansar Allah started their economic war against the regime in the foreign trade field by opening the third front.

They began their work less than a month ago by seizing the Galaxy Leader. They recently announced that only Israeli ships will not be targeted, insisting all commercial ships that travel from Israeli ports to another country or vice versa will be seized or attacked.

In recent days, they have attacked several container ships in the Red Sea. The attacks have led to the closure of Eilat port, and commercial ships are forced to circumnavigate the whole of Africa to reach Israeli ports without any hassle, resulting in increased travel time and therefore higher transportation costs.

These attacks have not only increased insurance cost for the ships heading to Israel, but also burdened the already under-pressure Israeli economy.

The Red Sea corridor is vital for Israel's economy, and the continuation of the current situation will become increasingly difficult and expensive for it.

"National Security Council" has issued urgent instructions to Israel’s ports to remove information related to the arrival and departure of ships from their websites.

Another solution proposed by some Zionist experts is to transport goods to Port Said in Egypt and unload them there, then transfer them to smaller ships and transport them to Israeli ports. However, this solution is not practically feasible. In fact, they know that they have no practical and military options against Ansar Allah.

However, the most important hope for Israel is to try to turn their problem into everyone's problem. They are doing their best to pretend that Yemen's actions endanger international trade security in the Red Sea and thus force others to solve their problem.

Although the Americans are involved in this project with Israel, as the revolutionary authorities of Yemen have stated, no one can prevent them from supporting the oppressed people of Palestine.

They have clearly announced the solution: stop the massacre in Gaza and deliver food, medicine, and vital goods to the besieged people. 

Ansar Allah's confrontation with Israel is not limited to economic warfare, and despite the great distance from the occupied territories, they have conducted missile and drone attacks on Israel.

The courageous actions of the Yemenis have embarrassed some Islamic countries that have many pressure tools to stop Israel's killing machine but do not use them. 

All of this is happening while the Yemenis themselves have been facing war and severe siege for more than 8 years ‑ despite all these pressures, they are stronger than ever in regional equations.

Without a doubt, making the Red Sea insecure for the economy of the Israeli regime is not the Yemenis' last card in this game. Bigger surprises may be on the way that the Yemenis will reveal in due time.

Courtesy: The Tehran Times

 

Yemen: Houthis hijack cargo ship in Red Sea

Reportedly, Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis have seized an Israeli cargo ship in the Red Sea. They said the vessel was then taken to a port in Yemen.

Israel said the ship was not Israeli, and no Israelis were among its crew. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said this was another act of Iranian terrorism.

Iran has not commented.

Houthis had threatened to hijack Israeli ship within their reach over Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Israel says 1,200 people were killed and more than 240 taken hostage during the surprise Hamas attack on the south of the country on October 07.

Israel has launched a massive military operation — involving air and artillery strikes as well as ground troops — with the aim of eliminating Hamas.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry says the death toll in Gaza since then has reached 12,300. More than 2,000 more are feared to be buried under rubble.

The Houthis have fired several missiles and drones towards Israel just after Israel launched its retaliatory operation.

The United States said at the time that all the missiles and drones were intercepted by its warship in the Red Sea.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described the attack on the ship — which it did not name — as a very grave incident of global consequence.

The IDF said the vessel was on its way from Turkey to India when it was seized in the southern Red Sea near Yemen.

Although, Israel says the seized vessel does not have any connection with it, unconfirmed reports suggest the ship may have an Israeli owner.

In Sunday’s statement on social media, Netanyahu said that Israel strongly condemns the Iranian attack against an international vessel.

He said the ship was owned by “a British company and is operated by a Japanese firm”, adding that “25 crew members of various nationalities including Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Filipino and Mexican” were on board the ship.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has recently said that what he called resistance groups allied to Tehran were cleverly adjusting pressure on Israel and its supporters.

Earlier this month, the Houthis shot down a US military drone off Yemen’s coast, American officials said.

The Houthis have been locked in a prolonged civil war with Yemen’s official government since 2014.

Iranian allies threaten United States over intervention in Israel-Gaza conflict

Powerful Iraqi and Yemeni armed groups aligned with Iran have threatened to target United States interests with missiles and drones if Washington intervenes to support Israel in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza that already shows signs of expanding to further fronts.

The comments come amid strong support by the United States for Israel's response to the attacks and a pledge to rapidly provide additional munitions to Israel and deploy a carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean.

In Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful armed faction with close ties to Iran, said it would target US bases with missiles, drones and its special forces if Washington intervened in the conflict.

US officials have accused the group of previous attacks on US interests in Iraq. The group has denied the claims.

The United States currently has 2,500 troops in Iraq - and an additional 900 in neighbouring Syria - on a mission to advise and assist local forces in combating Islamic State, which in 2014 seized swathes of territory in both countries.

Iraqi politician Hadi Al-Amiri, leader of political and military group the Badr Organization that is close to Iran, had made similar threats on Monday.

"If they intervene, we would intervene ... we will consider all American targets legitimate," Al-Amiri said on Monday.

Badr comprises a large part of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), the state paramilitary organisation that contains many Iran-backed factions.

The PMF has voiced its "unequivocal support" for the Palestinian factions fighting Israel and the Iraqi government has said the Palestinian operations were a natural outcome of what it calls "oppressive" policies by Israel.

In past years, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq regularly targeted US forces in Iraq and the US embassy in Baghdad with rockets, though such attacks have abated under a truce in place since last year, as Iraq enjoys a period of relative calm.

In Yemen, the leader of the powerful Houthi Movement warned on Tuesday that the group would respond to any US intervention in Gaza with drones, missiles and other military options.

He said the group was ready to coordinate intervention with other members of the so-called "Axis of Resistance" which encompasses Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim factions in Iraq and Lebanon's Hezbollah group, which has already entered the fray.

Yemen's Houthi movement has battled a Saudi-led coalition since 2015 in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands, during which it has targeted strategic assets in the Gulf, most notably energy facilities in Saudi Arabia.

Yemen has enjoyed a year of relative calm as peace negotiations gain traction.

 

 

Saudi Arabia welcomes UN initiative to resolve decaying oil tanker issue

Saudi Arabia has welcomed United Nations initiative to implement an operational plan to solve the problem of the Saffer floating oil tanker and to start unloading its crude oil, which is estimated at 1.14 million barrels.

“The Kingdom would continue its efforts to work with the United Nations and the Yemeni government to end the oil tanker problem,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The ministry welcomed the success of the international efforts and endeavors of the United Nations during the past years that culminated in the start of unloading the floating tanker and averting a marine environmental disaster that threatens maritime security and the economy in the Red Sea region.

Saudi Arabia appreciated the efforts of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the UN working team, who worked to harness all efforts to end this huge environmental problem. Saudi Arabia is one of the first donor countries to provide financial grants to Yemen through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) as part of its efforts along with the international community to solve this problem.

The ministry expressed the Kingdom’s hope that the unloading of the tanker will soon be completed through using an alternative ship in line with the UN operational plan. It also thanked the leadership of the Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen for its support to facilitate the arrival of the ship to start the unloading process.

It is noteworthy that the UN recently announced the purchase of an alternative tanker to empty the crude oil. The UN Development Program had signed an agreement with the Euronav Company operating in the field of maritime transport to purchase a large crude oil tanker.

The rusting oil tanker Saffer is located less than five nautical miles off the coast of Yemen. After plying the seas for six years, the ship was converted in 1987 into a floating storage-and-offloading facility — cheaper than an onshore terminal — linked by pipeline to the Yemeni oilfields in Marib. Since 2015, operations have been disrupted by the country’s civil war. A skeleton crew maintains the ship, which is steadily corroding and could break apart at any moment.

UN starts removing oil from tanker near Yemen

The United Nations said on Tuesday it had started the removal of more than one million barrels of oil from a decaying supertanker off Yemen's Red Sea coast in a complex operation it hopes will ward off a regional disaster.

UN officials have been warning for years that the Red Sea and Yemen's coastline was at risk as the Safer tanker could spill four times as much oil as the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska.

A UN spokesperson said on Tuesday a spill could cost US$20 billion to clean up.

The war in Yemen caused the suspension in 2015 of maintenance operations on the Safer, which is used for storage and has been moored off Yemen for more than 30 years.

The UN, which has never before undertaken such a rescue mission, has warned its structural integrity has significantly deteriorated and it is at risk of exploding.

"In the absence of anyone else willing or able to perform this task, the United Nations stepped up and assumed the risk to conduct this very delicate operation," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

"The ship-to-ship transfer of oil which has started today is the critical next step in avoiding an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe on a colossal scale."

The oil transfer is expected to take 19 days to complete, the United Nations' Development Program (UNDP) said in a statement.

"We are obviously very cautious – it's only the beginning of a transfer," UNDP spokesperson Sarah Bel told a Geneva press briefing when asked about the operation's risks.

"The cost of an oil spill is estimated to be approximately US$20 billion, and it will take years to clean up," she added.

She warned that any spilled oil could reach the African coast, damaging fish stocks for the next 25 years and destroying 200,000 jobs.

It would also close ports that bring food and supplies to Yemen, where some 17 million people rely on humanitarian aid, she said.

 

Yemen: Transfer of oil from decaying ship to start next week

Transfer of crude oil from the dilapidated tanker ‘Safer’ stranded off the coast of Yemen, is expected to start early next week, a senior United Nations humanitarian official told the Security Council on Monday.

Carrying over 1.1 million barrels of oil, the supertanker FSO Safer was abandoned off Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeidah after the civil war broke out in the country in 2015. Since then, the vessel has deteriorated significantly in absence of any servicing or maintenance, prompting fears of a major environmental disaster.

According to David Gressly, UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, the vessel Nautica is preparing to sail from Djibouti. It will moor alongside the Safer and once the transfer starts, it will take about two weeks.

“The completion of the ship-to-ship transfer of the oil by the start of August will be a moment when the whole world can heave a sigh of relief,” Gressly said, adding that the “worst-case humanitarian, environmental and economic catastrophe from a massive oil spill will have been prevented.”

After the oil has been off-loaded, the next critical step will include delivery and installment of a catenary anchor leg mooring (CALM) buoy, which is secured to the seabed, and to which the replacement vessel will safely be installed. The CALM buoy needs to be in place by September.

Backed by generous funding from Member States, the private sector, and the general public, which contributed US$300,000 through a crowdfunding campaign, UN raised about US$118 million of the US$148 million estimated budget for the undertaking.

The broad coalition working to prevent the catastrophe also includes environmental groups, including Greenpeace and, in Yemen, Holm Akhdar; as well as several UN entities.

At a separate meeting of the 15-member Security Council on Monday, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, called on the warring parties to reach a “serious breakthrough” in the ongoing discussions to finally end the conflict between an international coalition backing the recognized Government, and Houthi rebels.

He said that despite a period of relative calm, the situation in crisis-ridden Yemen remains fragile and challenging, and that the country “cannot afford a seasonal peace”.

The Special Envoy underscored the need for the parties to the conflict to make further, bold steps toward a peace that is sustainable and just.

“This means an end to the conflict that promises accountable national and local governance, economic and environmental justice, and guarantees of equal citizenship for all Yemenis, regardless of gender, faith, background or race,” he said.

In his briefing, Grundberg outlined a course of action including an immediate halt to military provocations and a sustainable nationwide ceasefire, economic de-escalation and addressing longer term economic priorities.

He added the parties need to agree a clear path to restarting an intra-Yemeni political process, under UN auspices.

Assistant-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Joyce Msuya, also briefed and told Security Council members that humanitarian needs in Yemen will remain high for the foreseeable future.

In 2023, relief agencies aim to reach 17.3 million people, out of a staggering 21.6 million people in need of assistance, she said, adding that halfway through the year, the Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen is funded at just 29 percent.

“As the political process progresses, we must remain vigilant and active on the humanitarian front. With better funding and more access, we can expand our reach and improve the protection of civilians — but we also need to see support for measures to improve Yemen’s economy,” she concluded.

Yemen: Operation to salvage FSO Safer gets under way

Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Bin Mubarak said the groundwork has started for salvaging the decaying FSO Safer supertanker and averting an oil spill in the southern part of the Red Sea.

A technical team from SMIT Salvage, a leading Dutch dredging and maritime service provider, has arrived at Ras Isa Port, the minister said in a press release, noting that an alternative tanker will arrive in the coming few weeks.

The FSO Safer salvage operation is the fruit of years-long cooperation between the Yemeni government on one hand, the United Nations and international partners on the other, he said.

Bin Mubarak attributed the long delay of the operation to the stubbornness of the Houthi militias who kept rejecting less expensive solutions to the problem.

Since the Yemen Pledging Conference, held in The Netherlands in May last year, until the second event, co-hosted by the Netherlands and the United Kingdom in early May 2023, the UN has raised US$107 million for salvaging the supertanker.

The UN operation aims, at the first stage, to unload up to 1.14 million barrels of oil from the decaying tanker into another one, now en route to site.

The second stage envisages providing a permanent alternative to Safer which has been moored in western coast of Yemen since mid-1980s.

FSO Safer, a floating storage facility, holds oil coming from Safer onshore oilfields in Maarib governorate as a prelude to unloading it to oil tankers.

The maintenance of the facility has come to a standstill since 2015 after the Houthis rebels denied the UN experts access to site which risked triggering a huge environment crisis in the region.

UN officials have been warning for years that the Red Sea and Yemen’s coastline was at risk as the Safer tanker could spill four times as much oil as the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska.

The Ndeavor tanker, with a technical team from Boskalis/ SMIT, is in place at the Safer tanker off the coast of Yemen’s Ras Isa, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen David Gressley said on Twitter from on board the Ndeavor.

The war in Yemen caused suspension of maintenance operations on the Safer in 2015. The UN has warned its structural integrity has significantly deteriorated and it is at risk of exploding.

The Safer is set to transfer its oil to a replacement tanker, the Nautica, which set sail from China in early April. The salvage operation cannot be paid for by the sale of the oil because it is not clear who owns it, the UN has said.

“Work at sea will start very soon. Additional funding is still important to finish the process,” the UN said on its Yemen Twitter account