US and Israel Attacks on Yemen's Houthis; Greek Oil Tanker Rescued After Months

The US and Israel conducted separate airstrikes against Houthi positions in several cities in Yemen; simultaneously, a maritime security company announced that a Greek oil tanker, which was targeted by Houthi attacks five months ago, has finally been rescued. The Israeli army announced on Friday evening, January 21, that its fighter jets targeted Houthi positions in the ports of Hodeidah and Ras Isa, as well as the Hizziz power plant near Sana'a. Senior Israeli officials warned after these attacks that if Houthi drone and missile launches towards Israel continue, Israel's actions will escalate, and Houthi leaders will be targeted. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the Houthis as 'serving the terrorist goals of the Iranian axis' and stated in a statement on Friday evening that the Houthis will pay the price for attacking Israel again. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened in a video message that his country 'will track and hunt down Houthi leaders.' He stated that 'the port of Hodeidah is paralyzed and the port of Ras Isa is on fire,' warning that 'no one will be safe.' Israel warned the Houthis that they will face the same fate as Hamas and Hezbollah. Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israel have intensified in recent weeks, and the Israeli army reported that a night before the Friday attacks, it intercepted and destroyed three drones launched from Yemen. The Israeli army has released images and videos of its attacks on Houthi positions. The Israeli attacks occurred shortly after reports indicated that US-led coalition fighter jets had attacked Houthi positions in the Harf Sufyan region of Amran province. Houthi-affiliated media attributed these attacks to the US and Britain, claiming at least twelve airstrikes had occurred. These media also reported that the Friday evening attacks resulted in one death and nine injuries. According to Israeli officials, the Israeli attacks were separate from the coalition attacks and were not considered a joint operation, although the US had been informed of these attacks in advance. The Sounion tanker had been adrift in the region's waters and was at risk of sinking. Meanwhile, maritime security company Ambrey announced on Friday that the Greek oil tanker Sounion, which had raised widespread concerns about an environmental disaster in recent months, has finally been rescued. This massive tanker was targeted by repeated Houthi attacks on August 21, and the Houthis later planted explosives on it. The 25 crew members of this tanker were forced to evacuate one day after the attack, and since then, the ship had become an environmental threat adrift in the Red Sea. According to Ambrey, the towing operation of this tanker, followed by extinguishing the fire and unloading its oil, took several months. Ambrey, which participated in the rescue operation of this tanker along with the European maritime mission in the Red Sea, added that 'three challenging weeks' were spent extinguishing the fire, injecting inert gas into the oil tanks, and finally securing the ship, and after that, in early October, the ship was towed towards the Suez Canal for unloading its cargo. Ambrey announced that the overall operation has now been successfully completed without providing further details. The owner of this tanker and other involved parties have not yet commented on this news. The US State Department had previously warned that if oil from the Sounion spills into the sea, a disaster 'four times larger' than the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska would await. Iranian-backed Houthis have targeted passing ships in the region multiple times since the Gaza war began, claiming to defend Palestinians. During this period, they have targeted about 100 commercial ships with missiles and drones, sunk two ships, killed four sailors, and seized one ship. Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have decreased in recent weeks, but their missile launches towards Israel continue.