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On February 20, 2024, the pro-Lebanese Hizbullah daily, Al-Akhabr, published a report citing unnamed informed sources as saying that Yemen's Ansar Allah, known as the Houthis, would be escalating attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, aiming to sink the ships.[1]
New Rules Of Engagement
The report also noted that the previous day, the Houthis had attacked the British ship RUBYMAR in the Gulf of Aden, which "caused a critical damage to the ship," according to the report, as part of this new, escalated attack stage.
"Sanaa forces raised the challenge during the past hours, stressing their readiness to face the U.S.-British and European military build-up, and to thwart all western attempts aimed at breaking the Yemeni blockade on Israel. In this context, they intensified their attacks against British and American ships, and imposed new rules of engagement in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, threatening to move to a more severe phase than the previous phases," the report said.
New Weapons
The sources added that the Houthis would be attempting to sink ships instead of just thwarting their traffic, adding that there are several advanced naval weapons that the Houthis will use against ships, including "unmanned submarines, which will be effective in targeting American and British battleships."
[1] Al-Akhbar, last accessed February 20, 2024.
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