Attack on American ship coming to India; Drone attack on British ship also

Houthi rebels attack two ships in the Red Sea. These ships belonged to America and Britain. One of these ships was coming to India from America.

According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a Houthi boat was spotted near the American ship Star Nasia moving in the Red Sea on Tuesday night. At the same time, the British ship Morning Tide was attacked on Tuesday morning. Information about how many crew members were on board both the ships has not been revealed. Private security firm Ambre says that only the ship was damaged in the attack. No one was injured in this.

3 days ago America and Britain attacked Yemen for the third time
The forces of America and Britain together attacked Yemen late on Saturday night, 3 February. Soldiers attacked the area held by Houthi rebels. Quoting the US Air Force, it was told that the attacks were carried out on 36 targets. These included sites related to weapons storage, missiles, air defense systems and radar.

In fact, Houthi rebels are continuously targeting ships in the Red Sea. America and Britain are taking action against this. This is the third joint operation between the two countries. Before this, America and Britain had attacked Yemen on 28 January and 11 January. At the same time, since January 11, America has targeted the positions of Houthi rebels in Yemen 10 times.

It is necessary to stop Houthi rebels so that trade is not disrupted.
America and Britain issued a statement saying that due to the attacks by Houthi rebels, 2 thousand ships passing through the Red Sea had to change their route.

Ships import and export around the world through this sea route. About 15% of the world’s shipping traffic takes place on this route. International trade on the main route between Europe and Asia has faced problems due to attacks by Houthi rebels. To end this problem and save business, it is necessary to stop the Houthi rebels.

In fact, due to the Israel-Hamas war, Houthi rebels have started attacking ships in the Red Sea to support Gaza and they are targeting shipping routes. There was also an attack on a ship coming to India on 23 December 2023.
On 23 December 2023, the MV Saibaba ship was also attacked in the Red Sea. This ship was coming to India and all the 25 people of the operative team aboard were Indians. The flag of the African country Gabon was placed on it. After the attack, India launched 5 of its warships to protect this trade route.

Earlier on December 19, Houthi rebels had hijacked a cargo ship Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea. This ship was coming to India from Turkey. Houthi rebels had hijacked it, mistaking it for an Israeli ship.

Professor Arun Kumar says that this is the first time that the international community is concerned about the security of the sea route of trade. Many countries including America, China, India are seen together.

80% of India’s trade happens through sea route. At the same time, 90% of the fuel also comes by sea route. If someone attacks on the sea route, India’s business will be affected. This will spoil the supply chain.

Who are the Houthi rebels who attacked the ship coming to India?
Civil war started in Yemen in 2014. Its root is the Shia-Sunni dispute. According to the Carnegie Middle East Center report, there was a long-standing dispute between the two communities which turned into civil war with the beginning of the Arab Spring in 2011. In 2014, Shia rebels opened a front against the Sunni government.

This government was led by President Abdrabbhu Mansour Hadi. Hadi seized power in February 2012 from former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who had been in power for a long time after the Arab Spring. Hadi was struggling to bring stability to the country amid change. At the same time, the army split and the separatist Houthis mobilized in the south.

In the race for dominance in Arab countries, Iran and Saudi also jumped into this civil war. On one hand, the Houthi rebels got the support of Shia-dominated country Iran, while the government got the support of Sunni-dominated country Saudi Arabia.

Within no time, the rebels known as Houthi captured a large part of the country. In 2015, the situation had become such that the rebels had forced the entire government into exile.