The Wall Street Journal reports, citing U.S. officials, that the American military has prepared options to strike the Yemeni Houthi group, Ansar Allah, which has been attacking Israeli ships in the Arabian Sea and Red Sea, as well as vessels heading to Israel.
According to the paper, the U.S. Central Command disclosed that the Houthis have carried out 24 attacks on commercial vessels since mid-November of the previous year.
U.S. officials also conveyed that one of the major challenges in targeting the Houthi-affiliated objectives is the mobility of many of their weapon systems.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed that the Houthis need to cease their "destabilizing attacks" and pledged to take action to defend the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
In addition, British Defense Minister Grant Shapps stated that the UK would not hesitate to do what is necessary if the Houthis continue to endanger the lives of innocents and threaten the global economy, in his words.
Meanwhile, on a different note, the United States notified the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday that Houthi attacks in Yemen on commercial ships threaten "navigational rights and freedoms" in the Red Sea and pose a "global challenge" that requires a "global response."
Chris Lu, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, told the Council in its first meeting of 2024 that the United States believes the situation in the Red Sea is "at a turning point."
It's worth noting that on December 18th, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the formation of a maritime task force named "Guardian of Prosperity,” which includes 10 countries, among them one Arab nation, Bahrain. The goal is to confront attacks in the Red Sea.
As a show of solidarity with the people of Gaza against the Israeli assault, the Houthis announced that they will target with missiles and drones all commercial shipping vessels owned or operated by Israeli companies, or those transporting goods to and from Israel.
