TEHRAN – Iran’s Alborz warship has navigated through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, officially entering the Red Sea on Monday amid heightened tensions in the region.

As reported by Iranian Tasnim news agency, the deployment of Iranian warships in the region dates back to 2009, aimed at ensuring the security of shipping lanes.

Recent weeks have seen a surge in attacks by the Yemeni Resistance movement Ansarullah, targeting over 20 vessels associated with the Israeli regime along the Red Sea shipping route.

The unrest in the Red Sea emerged amid rising anger in West Asia over the devastation in Gaza, where at least 21,822 Palestinians, including 8,800 children, have been killed by Israeli military attacks.

The conflict began on October 7, when the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel in response to the intensified crimes of the occupying regime in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Ansarullah has repeatedly stressed that it only targets the vessels that are linked to Israel travelling in the Red Sea. The Yemeni Resistance forces have said they will continue their strikes until the hostilities against the innocent Palestinians are ceased.

The U.S., a staunch supporter of Israel throughout the conflict, on December 19 announced a multinational force to protect trade in the Red Sea after attacks by Ansarullah forced at least a dozen shipping lines to suspend operations. However, the U.S. naval forces have not been able to deter the Yemeni fighters so far, with the group waging attacks even more frequently.

The U.S. military announced on Sunday that it had sunk three Yemeni boats attacking a container ship in the Red Sea, leading to the brutal killing of 10 Yemeni resistance fighters. 

Ansarullah has issued a warning in response to this attack to Israel, the United States, and other Western allies, stating that any hostile move from foreign forces against the country will have dire consequences and come at great cost.

While the West has claimed that Iran is actively involved in the intensified situation of the Red Sea, Iranian officials have made it clear that Ansarullah’s actions are independent, with no instructions from Tehran.

MAS