Seth J. Frantzman
Jerusalem Post, Jan. 17, 2024
“The Al-Ain report could reflect new serious information about the Houthis and their positioning of missiles and drones. It could also reflect the wider regional concerns in the Gulf about the Houthis choosing to escalate.”
The Houthis may be repositioning some of their missiles and drones after US and UK airstrikes and also to present more challenges to shipping, a new report says. Al-Ain media in the United Arab Emirates said it has learned from “Yemen military sources” about how the Houthis are moving their drones and other munitions to carry out attacks. The Houthis are an Iranian-backed group that controls part of Yemen. Yemen also has an official government and other factions within the country.
The report says that the sources revealed these details over the weekend. “The Houthis arsenal is moving under cover of darkness.” This represents a “new plan” by the Houthis to carry out attacks against international shipping routes. These types of reports are worth examining because even if the claims are not verified, the report itself illustrates growing concerns in the region about Iranian-backed Houthi escalation.
US Central Command said on January 16 that the “US conducts strikes in Yemen as Houthi attacks against international shipping continue.”
That report noted that “earlier in the day at approximately, 4:15 a.m. (Sana’a time), US Forces struck and destroyed four Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles prepared to launch from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.”
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