Houthi insurgency

American forces targeted 14 missiles that were ready to launch in Yemen, the U.S. military said Wednesday, after Washington re-designated the Iran-backed Huthi rebels as a "terrorist" entity for their attacks on merchant vessels.

In response to an anti-ship ballistic missile launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen, the United States executed fresh strikes against Houthi targets, marking the third such action within a week. The strikes, conducted on Tuesday, targeted Houthi-controlled areas following their missile launch into international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea.

The United States will once again consider Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels a terrorist group, U.S. media reported Tuesday, after previously dropping the classification in 2021.

The designation, expected Wednesday, of the Huthis as a "specially designated global terrorist" entity comes amid attacks by the group on shipping and military vessels in the Red Sea.

In a startling development that has further heightened tensions in the already volatile Red Sea region, a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile successfully struck a US-owned and operated cargo ship, the Gibraltar Eagle, as announced by US Central Command in a statement reported by CNN.

Pro-Palestinian activists protested at the gates of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Sunday, angry that the British base was used as a launch pad for strikes against the Houthi militia in Yemen.

In a recent update on the situation surrounding the detained vessel "Galaxy Leader," Nasreddin Amer, the spokesman for the Houthi movement "Ansar Allah," conveyed positive news regarding the well-being of the two Bulgarian sailors aboard. Almer indicated that the sailors were found to be in excellent condition during a recent interaction, offering reassurance to their concerned families.

In a response to a surge in Houthi rebel attacks on commercial vessels, the United States carried out additional strikes in Yemen, targeting a radar site utilized by the rebels. This move came on the heels of a comprehensive assault on nearly 30 Houthi locations just a day prior. The coordinated efforts by the U.S.

Due to attacks in the Red Sea disrupting supply chains, Tesla will suspend production from January 29 to February 11.
"Armed conflicts in the Red Sea and related changes in transport routes between Europe and Asia via the Cape of Good Hope also affect production at the German Tesla factory in the city of Gruenheide," the American company said in a statement, reports AP.

Russia has called for an urgent United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting scheduled for January 12 to address the recent military strikes conducted by the United States and the United Kingdom in Yemen. The move comes after US forces, supported by the UK, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, targeted Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Brent crude oil prices rose two percent to $78.94 a barrel after the escalation of the situation in Yemen.

On Friday night, the US and Britain launched strikes against Yemeni Houthi targets in response to their attacks on international ships in the Red Sea. US West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures also rose in price.