Analysis: Houthi oil tanker attack most serious of its campaign so far – and UK-US strikes are no deterrent
The Houthi missile attack on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden was the most significant of its Red Sea campaign so far in terms of its success, our defence and security analyst Professor Michael Clarke says.
Prof Clarke says it was “in some respects” an escalation.
“It was a petroleum products tanker… and it was hit by an anti-ship missile – quite a powerful missile, which caused a big fire in one of the holds and the crew did very well [to contain it],” he says.
The strike was “the most serious Houthi attack in terms of its success since the beginning of the campaign in November,” Prof Clarke adds.
The Houthis will “continue to be defiant”, he says, and adds the group will not give up targeting shipping because of strikes carried out by the US and UK in Yemen.
“There was the first big strike by America and Britain on 11 January and then the next one on 22 January. I suspect we’re leading up to another one quite soon,” Prof Clarke says.
“The Houthis will keep on doing this. They’ll keep launching missiles at ships.”
The joint UK-US strikes are likely suppressing the level at which the Houthis can attack Western shipping, Prof Clarke adds, but “it’s not going to stop them taking potshots at things that go past”.
He says the campaign by Washington and London to target the Houthis is “undoubtedly” a “long-term campaign”.
“The alternative is to let the Houthis hold the world economy to ransom for the next two or three years,” says Prof Clarke.