Chinese firm aiding Houthi attacks on US vessels, as airstrikes kill 74

The State Department has accused a Chinese steadfast of directly aiding Iran-backed Houthi rebels successful Yemen by providing outer imagery utilized to people U.S. and planetary vessels successful the Red Sea.

The quality comes as U.S. airstrikes targeting an lipid larboard held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed 74 radical and wounded 171 others connected Thursday, the radical said.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited is helping the Houthis, who person been attacking commercial and subject ships successful the country since precocious 2023 arsenic a means of showing solidarity with Palestinians amid the warfare successful Gaza. The Houthi attacks person included rocket strikes, drone assaults and attempted hijackings.

Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited is a commercialized radical with ties to the People’s Liberation Army.

Houthi fighters are pictured adjacent to U.S. President Donald Trump. (AP Images/Getty Images)

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"We tin corroborate the reporting that Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited is straight supporting Iran-backed Houthi violent attacks connected U.S. interests," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a regular quality briefing.

"China consistently attempts ... to framework itself arsenic a planetary peacemaker ... however, it is wide that Beijing and China-based companies supply cardinal economical and method enactment to regimes similar Russia, North Korea and Iran and its proxies," she said.

"The information that they proceed to bash this is unacceptable," she said, adding that the U.S. "will not tolerate anyone providing enactment to overseas violent organizations specified arsenic the Houthis."

Bruce said the assistance by the steadfast to the Houthis had continued adjacent though the United States had engaged with Beijing connected the issue.

President Donald Trump has  prioritized addressing instability successful the Red Sea, citing ongoing concerns that the Houthis stay a menace to the planetary economy.

The quality comes arsenic U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) launched strikes connected the Houthi controlled Ras Isa Fuel Port successful Northwest Yemen connected Thursday, marking the 34th consecutive time of U.S. strikes on Houthi targets successful Yemen. 

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The strikes were aimed astatine eliminating the Houthis' fuel, a cardinal root of gross for the group. 

The strikes, which sent monolithic fireballs shooting into the nighttime sky, represented a large escalation for the American run by hitting lipid facilities for the archetypal time.

CENTCOM said that "U.S. forces took enactment to destruct this root of substance for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of amerciable gross that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the full portion for implicit 10 years."

"The Houthis, their Iranian masters, and those who knowingly assistance and abet their violent actions should beryllium enactment connected announcement that the satellite volition not judge illicit smuggling of substance and warfare worldly to a violent organization," Central Command said. 

The British-registered cargo vessel 'Rubymar' sinking aft it was targeted by Yemen's Houthi forces successful planetary waters successful the Red Sea, connected March 7, 2024, successful the Red Sea.  (Al-Joumhouriah transmission via Getty Images)

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"This onslaught was not intended to harm the radical of Yemen, who rightly privation to propulsion disconnected the yoke of Houthi subjugation and unrecorded peacefully," it added. It did not admit immoderate casualties from the onslaught oregon connection immoderate harm assessment.

Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by The Associated Press Friday showed destroyed tanks and vehicles astatine the larboard arsenic lipid leaks into the Red Sea.

The Iranian-backed Houthis aboriginal Friday launched a rocket toward Israel that was intercepted, the Israeli subject said. Sirens sounded successful Tel Aviv and different areas.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.