2023-12-27 01:29:20
The Houthis continue their destabilization enterprise. The US military announced on Tuesday that it had intercepted numerous drones and missiles in the southern Red Sea fired by the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group supported by Iran which said it had targeted a boat as well as Israel.
The United States patrols this strategic region of the globe alongside an international coalition to protect maritime traffic from attacks by the Houthis, who say they are in solidarity with Palestinian Hamas in its war against Israel in the Gaza Strip.
On Tuesday, US armed forces deployed in the region “downed twelve attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles in the southern Red Sea, fired by the Houthis” in a period of “approximately 10 hours “, declared the United States military Command in the Middle East (Centcom).
U.S. assets, to include the USS LABOON (DDG 58) and F/A-18 Super Hornets from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, shot down twelve one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles, and two land attack cruise missiles in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the… pic.twitter.com/vRQ5e6Au6d
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 26, 2023
Some interceptions were carried out by combat aircraft operating from the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier present on site, Centcom said. “There was no damage to the boats present in the area and no injuries were reported,” Centcom said in a press release published on X (formerly Twitter).
10 merchant ships already targeted
Earlier in the day, the Houthi rebels assured in a statement that they had “carried out a targeted operation against a commercial vessel” identified as the MSC UNITED, and had launched “drones against military targets” in southern Israel. The Israeli army said it had intercepted “a hostile aerial target” heading towards its territory.
Since the start of the war on October 7 between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, the Houthis have increased attacks in the Red Sea against ships off the coast of Yemen with alleged links to Israel, in solidarity with Gaza. In recent weeks, several missiles and drones have been shot down by American, French and British warships patrolling the area.
Video. Ships targeted by Houthis in the Red Sea: “there could be an impact on prices”
According to the Pentagon, the Houthis, who control entire swaths of Yemeni territory, including the capital Sanaa, have already launched around a hundred drone and missile attacks, targeting a total of 10 merchant ships involving more than 35 countries. Iran is “very involved in the planning” of attacks carried out by the Houthis in the Red Sea, the White House said on Friday. These attacks, which threaten to disrupt global maritime trade flows on a strategic route, have prompted the United States to establish a multinational maritime protection force in the Red Sea.
Earlier on Tuesday, explosions were heard and missiles seen near a ship in the Red Sea, near Hodeida, a rebel-held port in western Yemen, the agency said British maritime safety agency UKMTO, without reporting any casualties or damage. Two other explosions sounded shortly before near another ship, again off the coast of Hodeida, without reporting any damage or casualties, according to the British maritime agency. The boat continued its journey.
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