- In recent weeks, Yemeni rebels aligned with Iran have stepped up attacks near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait that separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa.
- The Swiss shipowner MSC announced on Saturday that it, like the groups CMA CGM, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, would suspend the crossing of the Red Sea by its ships after Houthi rebels from Yemen carried out attacks on ships supposedly traveling in support from Hamas.
- 20 Minutes takes stock of these clashes in the Red Sea, which are dangerously raising tensions in this vital area of international maritime trade and stoking fears of uncontrolled skidding and regional conflagrations.
The Red Sea is a “sea highway” that connects the Mediterranean with the Indian Ocean and thus Europe with Asia. Around 20,000 ships pass through the Suez Canal every year, the entry and exit point for ships traveling through the Red Sea. And the war between Hamas and Israel, which further escalates tensions across the region, is now also affecting the region. Following attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels, which were portrayed as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas, several global maritime transport giants have successively announced that they are suspending the passage of their ships through this important trade channel. 20 Minutes takes stock as Yemen's Houthi rebels multiply increasingly daring operations.
What is happening in the Red Sea?
Drone attacks, a helicopter attack on a merchant ship, a missile attack on a Norwegian oil tanker, etc. In recent weeks, Yemeni rebels close to Iran have launched attacks near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait that separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa. reinforced. The Houthis have warned that they will attack ships sailing off the coast of Yemen with ties to Israel.
For several days, missiles and drones have been fired from American and French warships patrolling the area. Also on Saturday, the US military's Middle East Command (Centcom) announced that a US destroyer operating in the Red Sea shot down 14 drones that were launched from “Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.”
The American destroyer USS Carney shot down three drones around two weeks ago while providing aid to merchant ships in the Red Sea that were the target of attacks from Yemen. Finally, the rebel group claimed on Friday that it had carried out “a military operation against two container ships, MSC Alanya and MSC Palatium III.”
Why are the Houthis talking about the Hamas-Israel conflict?
Houthi rebels have warned that they represent retaliation for the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip. This political-military movement, which controls a large part of Yemen, belongs, like the Palestinian Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah, to the so-called “Axis of Resistance” against Israel, which is supported by Iran.
The Houthis are a radical political-military movement that emerged from Zaidism (branch of Shiism) and is not recognized by the international community. Those who, according to experts, “seem to be champions of the Palestinian cause in order to make people forget their inability to stabilize Yemen,” reiterated this Thursday that they “restrict the passage of ships heading to Israeli ports, Food and medicine would not reach the Gaza Strip for a long time to come.
The Houthis also said Friday that boats off Yemen would not be attacked if they followed their orders, but that ships bound for Israeli ports would be “prevented from sailing in the Arabian and Red Seas.” However, according to Mohammed Albasha, Middle East specialist at the American analysis center Navanti Group, recent incidents show that “the Houthis are ready to target anything related to Israel,” regardless of connections.
What are the consequences for maritime transport?
According to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), 12% of world trade typically passes through the Red Sea. And several global maritime transport giants announced this weekend that they would stop allowing their ships to transit through the Red Sea because of the danger. The Danish Maersk, the German Hapag-Lloyd and the Italian-Swiss MSC have announced that their ships will no longer use the Red Sea “until further notice”, at least until Monday or until the crossing is “safe”. On the same day, the leading French shipping company CMA CGM decided “with immediate effect to move all its container ships in the region that have to sail through the Red Sea to safe zones or not to leave waters considered safe until further notice”.
This bypass of Africa will significantly lengthen journeys: To connect Rotterdam with Singapore, the diversion will increase the route by 40%, from about 8,400 nautical miles (15,550 km) to 11,720 miles (21,700 km), according to S&P Global.
What are the reactions internationally?
French diplomatic chief Catherine Colonna said during a visit to Israel on Sunday that the attacks in the Red Sea “cannot go unanswered.” “We are examining several “defense options” with our partners, particularly to prevent something like this from happening again,” said the Foreign Minister. On Friday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated on
“Houthi attacks on civilian merchant ships in the Red Sea must stop immediately,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock responded. During his visit to Israel, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan denounced “a concrete threat to freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea.
Iranian Defense Minister Mohammed Reza Ashtiani warned of a possible deployment of multinational forces in the Red Sea, which Tehran considers its zone of influence. “If they make such an irrational decision, they will face extraordinary problems,” he told the official ISNA agency.
What do the experts think?
The Red Sea has been monitored like burning milk by the international community for years and “at the moment we are still in a controlled situation, but it is a quite dangerous moment for the stability of this strategic region,” notes Camille Lons, researcher at the ECFR ( European Council on Foreign Relations). “The Houthis have the potential to cause significant damage,” fears Fabian Hinz from the IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies).
If military ships cruising the Red Sea can respond, as American and French ships have recently done, commercial boats cannot. “The US Navy cannot escort every civilian ship in the Red Sea,” he added. And all eyes are on Iran, which is seen as the ultimate decider on whether or not Israel should open further fronts: in Lebanon with Hezbollah or in the Red Sea with the Houthis.
Nevertheless, experts insist on the degree of autonomy of the Houthis, who “do not respond to Tehran like the Lebanese Hezbollah, the jewel of Iranian proxies (allied armed groups) in the region,” deciphers Camille Lons. “So far the Houthis have struck without any massive reprisals, but things could get out of control,” warns Franck Mermier. The Houthis are completely unpredictable and dangerous. However, the processes that trigger war are always unpredictable.”