Escalation of Houthi Attacks on Ships; Tensions Rise Between US Military and Yemeni Houthis

The United States Central Command reported that Houthi forces, supported by the Islamic Republic, attacked two commercial ships in the Red Sea and that US forces responded by destroying drones belonging to this rebel group on July 15. CENTCOM announced that the Yemeni Houthis carried out multiple attacks on the ship 'MT Bentley' in the Red Sea on Monday using an unmanned surface vehicle (drone) and two small boats. According to reports, this oil tanker, flagged under Panama and owned by Israel, was transporting vegetable oil from Russia to China and was also separately targeted by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. CENTCOM reported that no damage or casualties have been reported from this attack so far. The US Central Command also stated that forces supported by the Iranian government separately attacked another oil tanker named 'MT Chouz Lion,' owned by the Marshall Islands, with a drone, causing damage, but the ship continued its course without requesting assistance or reporting damage. According to CENTCOM, on July 15, US military forces destroyed five Houthi drones, three of which were targeted over the Red Sea and two in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. The US Central Command deemed this 'reckless' behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis a threat to regional stability and the lives of sailors across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, emphasizing that it will continue to work with its allies to reduce the military capabilities of the Houthis and hold them accountable. The Yemeni Houthis, supported by the Islamic Republic, are said to threaten the lives of citizens of third countries that have no connection to the Gaza conflict, claiming that these actions are in support of Palestinians in Gaza. The Iranian-backed Houthis are suspected of attacking another ship in the Gulf of Aden and claiming participation with 'Islamic Resistance of Iraq' in an attack on a 'vital target' in Haifa, Israel. The US military destroyed a radar site of the Iranian-backed Houthis and reported the destruction of seven drones and one ground control station belonging to the Houthis. The Houthis claim to have used a 'new ballistic missile' in the attack on a cargo ship on Monday.