US and UK launch series of strikes against Yemen, hitting Kamaran Island for first time
US and British forces have launched at least six airstrikes against Yemen’s Hodeidah International Airport and four strikes against Kamaran Island, near the Red Sea port of Salif, according to Al-Masirah TV, the main news channel linked to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
It is the first time US-led international coalition forces have attacked Kamaran Island since the air offensive against Houthi targets began earlier this year. Yemeni rebels had been hijacking and attacking ships transiting the area for months in “solidarity with Palestine”, threatening the stability of world trade.
Houthi fighters are believed to have used Karaman Island and the port of Salif to launch their attacks in the Red Sea, as well as to hide stockpiles of missiles and drones in their salt mines, internationally recognised Yemeni government military sources told Reuters.
In addition, the 10-kilometre stretch from the port of Salif to the island of Kamaran is also part of the route taken by ships to reach their next port of call.
The Houthis, who control the capital -Sana’a- and the most populated areas of Yemen, have been threatening international shipping in the Red Sea since November. They have also launched several attacks on Israeli territory. The latest, earlier this month, was carried out in conjunction with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq – another Iranian-backed militia – and targeted ships in the Israeli port of Haifa.
Despite retaliation by the international coalition, the Houthis have in recent months intensified their offensives against commercial vessels in the region, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Houthis sentence 44 people to death and detain 11 UN workers
Internally, Yemeni rebels continue their brutal crackdown on dissidents. This month alone, the Houthis have sentenced 44 people to death on charges of collaborating with the Saudi-led coalition and abducted 11 Yemeni UN employees.
According to the UN, the detainees – nine men and two women – worked in various UN agencies, including the UN human rights agency, UNICEF, the World Food Programme and UNESCO.
However, this is not the first time the Houthis have arrested UN staff members. The armed group arrested two in 2021 and another two in 2023.
These arbitrary arrests demonstrate, as the UN denounced, “a total disregard for the rule of law”. In addition to the international organisation’s workers, the Houthis have imprisoned thousands of people during the war. Many of them were tortured for weeks at a time, while human rights groups have reported sexual violence against women detainees.
The Houthis have a long list of crimes against humanity. They are also responsible for using child soldiers, for indiscriminately laying mines on Yemeni territory during the war years and for looting humanitarian aid coming into the country.
The conflict in the country began after the Houthis seized Sana’a and much of the north in 2014, forcing the government into exile. In response, a Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government.
Source » atalayar.com
