The Houthis have renewed their attacks on cargo ships heading to the Red Sea, shattering the momentary tranquility gained by the formation of the joint convoy. U.S. airstrikes on Iranian-backed targets in Iraq put the situation in the Middle East at risk of further proliferation.
According to CCTV News, on December 26, local time, Yemen's Houthi rebels issued a statement saying that after three warnings were rejected against the merchant ship "MSC United" in the Red Sea, the Houthis fired ** missiles at it. The Houthis said they would continue to launch attacks on ships, including those destined for and from Israel, until humanitarian supplies such as medicine and food could be brought into the Gaza Strip. The statement also said that Yemen's Houthi rebels have once again launched drone strikes on the southern Israeli city of Eilat and other places.
Subsequently, MSC Mediterranean Shipping confirmed that the container ship MSC United VIII was attacked on its way to Pakistan, and there are no reports of ** personnel at present.
On the same day, the U.S. Command issued a statement saying that U.S. destroyers and fighter jets from the USS D. D. Eisenhower intercepted 12 suicide drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land-attack cruise missiles from Yemen's Houthis over the Red Sea that day. It is reported that there has been no damage to the ships in the area, and there are no reports of personnel** at this time.
According to ***, citing the U.S. "Wall Street" **26**, the U.S. military airstrike on three drone facilities used by a Shiite militant group and other organizations in Iraq in response to a series of attacks by these groups on U.S. military positions in Iraq and Syria, including an attack in northern Iraq on the 25th, which injured three U.S. soldiers and one seriously.
Subsequently, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement that "".While we do not wish to escalate the conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities. ”He called it a "necessary and proportionate" response.
Earlier, the United States established a multinational joint escort force to conduct security patrols in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in response to Red Sea attacks. With that assurance, Maersk, the world's second-largest container shipping company, said last week that it was preparing to resume Red Sea shipping. But with tensions in the Middle East at risk of further escalation, there is more uncertainty about the return to normalcy of Red Sea shipping.
On Tuesday, international oil prices continued to be strong, with Brent** rising more than 2% in the day, returning to above the $80 mark, and falling slightly on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the main contract of the container transportation index (European line) once hit the daily limit, and as of press time, the increase narrowed to 178%。
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