The Iran-backed Houthi militia launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles at a US-owned tanker ship late on Thursday that hit the water near the vessel but caused no injuries or damage, the US military said. This came amid growing tensions in the Red Sea that have disrupted global trade and raised fears of supply bottlenecks.
Here are top 10 updates on Houthis-Red Sea crisis,
1) The Houthis, who control most of Yemen, earlier on Thursday claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they targeted the ship Chem Ranger with naval missiles that caused "direct hits".
2) The United States is not at war with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, the Pentagon said on Thursday, even as it detailed its fifth round of strikes against the group in the past week.
3) Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the strikes, including Thursday's targeting of anti-ship missiles, were purely defensive. "We are not at war with the Houthis," said Singh.
4) Pakistan launched airstrikes against alleged militant hideouts inside Iran on Thursday, killing at least nine people as it retaliated for a similar attack days earlier by Iran and raising tensions with its neighbor as conflict across the region escalates.
5) The unprecedented attacks by both Pakistan and Iran on either side of their border appeared to target Baluch militant groups with similar separatist goals. The countries accuse each other of providing a haven to their territories' groups.
6) Iran is dealing with unrest against its theocracy and has faced pressure for action ever since the Islamic State suicide bombing. It is also seeking to flex military power at a time when militant groups it supports in the region — Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Houthi rebels in Yemen — are engaged in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
7) Pakistan, meanwhile, could not leave Tuesday's airstrikes by Iran unchallenged, and it faces a crucial February general election in which its military is a powerful political force.
8) Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry described its attack Thursday as “a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes."
9) The United States, China, the United Nations, and others urged the two countries to de-escalate.
10) The United States has designated Yemen-based Houthi rebels as a terrorist group after the militants claimed their second attack this week on a US-operated vessel in the Red Sea region.
(With inputs from agencies)
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