Russian Pacific Fleet vessels enter Red Sea amidst Houthis’ attacks
Shafaq News / The Russian Pacific Fleet announced, on Thursday, that two of its vessels entered the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after completing maneuvers in the Gulf of Aden as part of the fleet's missions, according to the TASS news agency.
The agency clarified that "the mentioned vessels are the destroyer Variag and the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov, and the crews of the vessels conducted exercises on various scenarios to counter assumed aggressive activities."
The ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet continue to carry out their missions as part of a regular naval voyage in international waters.
This comes amidst attacks by the Houthi rebels in Yemen on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis (Ansar Allah) have attacked ships since November, saying they want to force Israel to end its offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas.
The ships targeted by the Houthis, however, largely have had little or no connection to Israel, the US, or other nations involved in the war.
The movement has also fired missiles toward Israel, though they have largely fallen short or been intercepted.
The assaults on shipping have raised the profile of the Houthis, who are members of Islam’s minority Shiite Zaydi sect, which ruled Yemen for 1,000 years until 1962.
A previous report claimed the Houthis now have a hypersonic missile, potentially increasing that cachet and putting more pressure on Israel after a ceasefire deal failed to take hold in Gaza before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Hypersonic missiles would pose a more serious threat to American and allied warships in the region.
Earlier in March, a Houthi missile struck a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, killing three of its crew members and forcing survivors to abandon the vessel. It marked the first fatal attack by the Houthis on shipping.
Other recent Houthi actions include an attack last month on a cargo ship carrying fertilizer that later sank after drifting for several days.
