Shipping operators have been forced to declare information to avoid attacks by Houthi forces in Yemen in the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia's Arab News reported on January 20 that shipping operators posted notices on maritime monitoring websites saying they had no contact with Israel before their ships entered the Red Sea to avoid attacks by Yemen's Houthi forces in the area.
The Houthis have said they will not target ships passing through the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait or the Gulf of Aden, provided that the ships notify their destination in advance or declare on maritime traffic monitoring sites that they have no ties to Israel.
Arab News witnessed at least two ships docking at Djibouti that had previously posted notices on the website "Marinetraffic.com" that "they have no ties to Israel"; before entering Egypt's Suez Canal through the Red Sea.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have seized a commercial vessel and carried out more than 20 drone and missile attacks on commercial and naval vessels passing through the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis say they only target Israeli or Israel-bound vessels in an effort to force Israel to lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Faced with security risks and threats to shipping through the Red Sea, the US established a coalition of special forces in the area. US forces, along with the UK, have since carried out dozens of airstrikes on military targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The US has also put the Houthis back on its list of terrorist groups, three years after Washington removed them from the list under pressure from various international organizations.
VNA
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