US: Houthis Have Made ‘Potential Environmental Disaster’ in Red Sea

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) – Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, in a press briefing on Tuesday, lambasted Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis.

As Ryder explained, the Houthis have created a “potential environmental disaster” through their indiscriminate attacks on international shipping traveling along the coast of Yemen.

Houthis Hurt Yemenis, Above All

The Houthis’ attacks scarcely affect Israel–which they claim is their target. However, when their attacks go wrong, as in this case, it is Yemenis themselves who are hurt most. In this case, a huge oil spill threatens the Yemeni coast. It may kill sea life in large numbers, including fish—which is important as a food source to the Yemeni population.

As the U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organization explains, “The fisheries sector has traditionally been, and continues to be, an important part of the economy of Yemen, contributing around three percent of GDP and employing (directly and indirectly) over 500 000 people, mostly in rural areas where there are few other employment opportunities.”

According to the World Bank, Yemen is the poorest country in the MENA (Middle East/North Africa) region. For the past nine years, it has been embroiled in a civil war, and it is now “suffering the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.”

However, one would not know that from the actions of the Houthis. 

Houthi Attack on Greek Tanker, Carrying Oil from Iraq

On Aug. 21, as Ryder explained, “a Greek-flagged, Greek-owned, oil tanker,” the MV Delta Sounion, “carrying approximately one million barrels of crude oil was attacked by Iranian-backed, Houthi-crewed vessels.”

It had a crew of two Russians and 23 Filipino sailors, who have since been evacuated from the stricken ship.

“The MV Delta Sounion now sits immobilized in the Red Sea,” Ryder continued, “where it is currently on fire and appears to be leaking oil, presenting both a navigational hazard and a potential environmental catastrophe.” 

A third party attempted to send two tugboats to put out the fire and salvage the vessel, but the Houthis threatened to attack the rescue ships—in the process, ensuring that the risk of a terrible accident continued.

This “demonstrates their disregard for not only human life, but also for the potential environmental catastrophe that this presents,” Ryder said. 

Ryder also denounced the Houthis’ claim that “they’re conducting these attacks in support of the Palestinian people,” as he summarized what they are saying.

“These are simply reckless acts of terrorism,” Ryder said, “which continue to destabilize global and regional commerce, put the lives of innocent civilian mariners at risk, and imperil the vibrant maritime ecosystem in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the Houthis’ own backyard.”