Military tensions are rising in the Middle East as the Houthis again attacked tankers in the Red Sea and fired shells at US military bases in Syria.
The attacks in the Red Sea
Two crude oil tankers were attacked in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday, but neither was injured, maritime security agencies said.
The attempted attacks on the vessels, identified as the Liberian-flagged Delta Atlantica and the Panama-flagged On Phoenix, have the hallmarks of attacks by Iran-linked Houthi militants on international cargo traffic in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas.
The Houthis have not claimed responsibility. The ships and crews in both cases were unharmed and continued on to their next ports of call.
Since November, the Houthi military campaign has sunk two ships and killed at least three sailors. It continues despite US and UK strikes on equipment and launch pads in Yemen.
The threat of Houthi attacks has forced many ships travelling through the Suez Canal between Asia and Europe to reroute around Africa. This raises shipping costs, delays cargo and increases pollution.
Shelling of a US base
Shells fired towards a US airbase at a gas field in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province did not hit the facility, two US officials said on Tuesday.
Earlier, a security source told Reuters that an Iranian-backed group fired six shells at the base, all of which landed in close proximity to the US base, adding that the US-led coalition responded to the attack with artillery.
A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the shells did not hit the base and no one was hurt. He referred to early reports that could change.
Lebanese pro-Iranian TV channel Al Mayadeen reported that US warplanes were flying intensively in the skies over Deir ez-Zor after the attack. ConocoPhillips said it was aware of reports of damage to a US and coalition base in eastern Syria bearing the Conoco name, but its assets in Syria were withdrawn in the early 2000s.
The Pentagon said on Tuesday that eight US troops were injured in a drone attack on a base in Syria last week.
