The attack of the Houthi militia on an underwater ship in the Red Sea prompted by U.S. strikes on a cargo ship
The first time the U.S. forces observed the Iranian-backed rebel group was when they used an unmanned underwater vessel.
They initially said that they were attacking ships owned by Israelis and sailing to and from Israel’s ports but they have since targeted ships unrelated to Israel. Since the beginning of the year, the US and British have cooperated to stop the attacks in Yemen, but they’ve also faced threats from the Houthis to attack American and British ships.
Since overthrowing the country’s government in a coup in the summer of 2014, the powerful rebel group backed by Iran, known as the Houthis have been in control of large parts of Yemen.
The United States said at the time that more than 2,000 ships had had to divert to avoid transiting the Red Sea.
The U.S. Central Command said on Saturday that it launched five “self-defense strikes” on the UUV, an unguided surface ship and anti-ship missiles.
The U.S.-led coalition has repeatedly hit missiles and launchers in Yemen and intercepted drones and missiles, but so far it has failed to halt the attacks. The US struck five targets in Yemen over the weekend.
The crew of a cargo ship in the Red Sea was forced to abandon ship after it came under attack on Monday from the Houthi militia in Yemen, who have been firing missiles at ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in what the group says is a campaign to pressure Israel to end its war in the Gaza Strip.
The attack on the ship, the Rubymar, appeared to be one of the Houthis’ most damaging so far. The group has carried out missiles and drones on ships but most of them have not caused serious damage.
A vessel that is part of a U.S. led coalition responded to a call and took the crew to a nearby port, Central Command said in a statement.
An employee who answered the phone at the Rubymar’s management office in Lebanon, GMZ Ship Management, confirmed that the attack had taken place and that the crew had abandoned ship, but said the company would not provide further information until the crew reaches a safe port.
A ship came under attack in 30 nautical miles south of al-Mokha in Yemen, prompting the crew to abandon it. The agency did not identify the ship.
Mr. Sarea, the Houthi military spokesman, said the Houthis “will not hesitate to take more military measures” against “all hostile targets in defense of beloved Yemen and in confirmation of the position of support for the Palestinian people.”
Though most of the group’s attacks have caused limited damage, they have still upended global shipping. Yemen overlooks the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, a key shipping lane that leads to the Suez Canal. Hundreds of ships are now avoiding the Suez Canal and sailing an extra 4,000 miles around Africa, burning fuel, inflating costs and adding about 10 days of travel in each direction.
The European Union launched a military operation on Monday to counter the threat of the Shiite rebels in the Arabian Peninsula, which includes the Red Sea, the Gulf and nearby waterways.
The European Union is returning maritime security and freedom of navigation in a highly strategic maritime corridor, says the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.