Arab Coalition destroys explosives-laden boat launched by Houthis in Red Sea

The Arab Coalition destroyed an explosives-laden boat launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis in the south of the red sea, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Friday.

The coalition added that the boat came from Yemen’s main Red Sea port of Hodeidah.

“The Houthi’s use of Hodeidah port threatens freedom of navigation and global trade,” the Arab Coalition said in a statement carried by SPA.

The Houthis have launched several attacks directed at Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, the UAE called for “ending the appeasement of the Iran-backed Houthi militia” during a UN Security Council briefing on Yemen.

Commenting on the Houthis militia’s alleged use of Hodeidah port to store weapons, the UAE permanent representative to the UN, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh called on the body to have presence in the port to prevent using it to serve military purposes and to launch attacks that threaten the security of navigation and countries in the region.

In January, the UAE-flagged ship Rwabee was seized by the Houthis off Hodeidah.

At the time, the United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) expressed “great concern” over claims that the Houthis were militarizing the port, stating that the port was vital for the impoverished country and demanding an inspection.

The Arab Coalition routinely carry out targeted strikes in Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthi militia to deter the rising wave of violent acts against Saudi Arabia, and more recently, the UAE.