US-UK Coalition Airstrikes Target Port Cities Of Yemen, 11 Killed And 14 Injured

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired missiles at the US vessel Pinocchio in the Red Sea, based on a speech given by the group’s military spokesperson and shown on television early Tuesday (March 12).

Per Equasis and the UN’s International Maritime Organization (popularly called the IMO), the Pinocchio is a container vessel that sails under the Liberian flag and is owned by Singapore’s Om-Mar 5 Inc. Yahya Sarea, the Houthi military spokesperson, stated that the group’s military actions will be enhanced during Ramadan in solidarity with Palestinians.

US-British forces strike the Houthi targets, taking the lives of 11 in Yemen. Airstrikes attributed to a U.S.-British coalition reportedly hit small towns and port cities in western Yemen on Monday, taking the lives of at least 11 individuals and seriously injuring 14 when defending commercial shipping, a spokesperson associated with the Yemeni internationally recognized government informed Reuters.

About 17 airstrikes had been reported in the nations, including in Hodeidah and at the Ras Issa Port, per Al Masirah, the essential Houthi-run television news outlet. The strikes took place only days after the first civilian fatalities and the first-ever vessel loss since Iran-backed Houthis began attacking commercial vessels in November 2023 to demonstrate solidarity with Palestinians being attacked by Israel.

The strikes coincide with the start of Ramadan, a fasting time for Muslims. Despite reprisals from the US-British coalitions along with those from other navies, the Houthis have been consistent in the expansion of their attacks on commercial vessels in one of the world’s most essential and busiest trade channels. On Wednesday, the Houthis took the lives of three members of the crew on the Barbados-flagged and Greek-operated vessel named the True Confidence in an attack off the port of Aden.

That came through some days following the sinking of the cargo vessel Rubymar, which had gone down nearly two weeks after being struck by a Houthi missile on February 18. Many vessels are now taking the longer and more expensive route via the Cape of Good to avoid the dangerous route via the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea to the Suez Canal, thereby raising shipping costs.

Reference: Reuters

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