Red Sea

Yemen's Houthis have targeted a fuel tanker, MADO, in the Red Sea, military spokesman Yahya Sarea claims on Tuesday.

The hijacking of the Ruen was the first successful takeover of a vessel involving Somali pirates since 2017 when an international crackdown stopped seizures in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.

Houthi militants have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against international commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden since mid-November.

Tensions in the Red Sea sparked by the Houthi attacks on transiting vessels bring several economic, environmental, and security ramifications on a global level.

A second round of talks was supposed to be held in February but was delayed due to attempts to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

There were no injuries or damage reported, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said. 

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group will escalate their military operations in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in solidarity with Palestinians during the war in Gaza.

The Houthis have attacked numerous ships since they chose to support Hamas’ attack on Israel. This is the first time the Houthis killed anyone in their attacks.

October 7 may have been the opening shot of a much larger war. 

A 5,000km “strategic depth” clearly indicates Iran now views the whole region as its “near abroad.”