Benoit Faucon and Costas Paris of The Wall Street Journal are reporting Houthi rebels have turned their sights to U.S. ships after air strikes. A U.S.-owned containership was struck, and a Navy destroyer was targeted as attacks became more widespread and indiscriminate. They write:
Fresh attacks targeted American ships in the Middle East, days after the U.S. led a round of strikes meant to blunt the capability of Iran-backed Houthi rebels to hit ships transiting the Red Sea.
Late Monday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed an attack targeting what it called Israeli spy bases in Iraq in retaliation for Israel’s killing of its commanders and allies, adding to tensions in the region about the potential for the war in Gaza to trigger a broader regional conflict.
Earlier, a Houthi missile struck the Gibraltar Eagle, a U.S. bulk carrier, off the coast of Yemen without causing injury or significant damage on Monday, said the U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East. […]
“It’s a very active and dangerous situation in one of the world’s most crucial shipping routes,” the official said. “The Houthis must stop what they’re doing or their war machine will be destroyed.”
Read more here.
