Houthi Missiles Kill 4 on Tihama as Saudi Arabia Weighs Red Sea Ground Offensive
Updated
Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Aug 14
Houthi Missiles Kill 4 on Tihama as Saudi Arabia Weighs Red Sea Ground Offensive
3 articles · Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Aug 14
Summary
Three ballistic missiles hit the commercial vessel Tihama in Bab-el-Mandeb on Tuesday, killing four crew members by Yemen's transport ministry count, in the first fatal Houthi strike on a ship's crew since the February Iran war began.
Saudi Arabia is now weighing whether to back a Yemeni campaign to retake the Red Sea coast, after seven months spent trying to weld rival anti-Houthi militias into a force capable of operating together.
Houthi strikes have also hit Mokha in seven waves and reportedly targeted tankers near Yanbu, suggesting an effort to weaken Joint Forces positions and keep any escalation on Houthi terms before a ground push can form.
Bab-el-Mandeb has become a wider pressure point for oil and fertilizer trade: Yanbu ships about 4 million barrels a day, and attacks there raise insurance and shipping costs even for crude rerouted across Saudi Arabia by pipeline.