Illegal Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have not only spread insecurity in the region but also threaten to create an environmental crisis for neighboring countries.
On September 2, 2024, the Iran-backed Houthis attacked two crude oil tankers, the Blue Lagoon I and the Amjad, with two ballistic missiles and an uncrewed aerial system, hitting both vessels.
Two weeks earlier, the Houthis attacked the Delta Sounion, setting it on fire, but the salvage operations on that vessel were deemed unsafe and called off on September 4, according to the World Cargo News website. Together, the vessels were carrying more than 3 million gallons of crude oil.
In February, the terrorist group struck the ship Rubymar in the Red Sea. As the ship began to sink, the crew escaped to Djibouti, leaving behind 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer.
Although Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak warned about environmental harm from the release of the chemicals, Rubymar sank in the Red Sea in March 2024.
Other environmental disasters have been narrowly averted. In January 2024, the tanker M/T Pollux, carrying crude oil, was struck by a missile from the Houthis. The crew managed to save the damaged ship before any oil could gush into the sea.
The U.S. Department of State has designated Ansarallah, commonly referred to as the Houthis, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched unprecedented attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as military forces positioned in the area to help assure the safety and security of commercial shipping.
The State Department designation was carefully crafted to include provisions for humanitarian aid. According to the U.N., more than 18.2 million people — half the Yemeni population — require humanitarian aid amid economic crisis, starvation and displacement.
Sources: USCENTCOM, Reuters, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Treasury