The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday said the Navy shot down a barrage of drone and missile attacks launched from Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthi militia to the southern Red Sea, in one of the largest attacks by the rebels in the region in recent months.<\/p>\n
In a post on X, the CENTCOM said at about 9.15 p.m. on Tuesday, the rebels \u201claunched a complex attack of Iranian-designed one-way attack UAVs, anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the southern Red Sea, towards international shipping lanes where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting.\u201d<\/p>\n
US Navy ships \u2014 Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gravely, Laboon, Mason \u2014 and the UK\u2019s HMS Diamond jointly shot down 18 one-way attack UAVs, two anti-ship cruise missiles and one anti-ship ballistic missile, according to the Central Command. CENTCOM also confirmed that there were no injuries or damage reported on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
This was the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since November 19, 2023, after it declared support for Hamas in the militant group\u2019s ongoing war with Israel. The Houthis have used missiles, drones, fast boats and helicopters to carry out the attacks and have often claimed that the targeted ships were linked to Israel.<\/p>\n
On January 3, a group of 12 nations \u2014 Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK and the US \u2014 jointly issued the formal warning to the Houthis and called the attacks in the Red Sea \u201cillegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilising.\u201d<\/p>\n
They said there was \u201cno lawful justification for intentionally targeting civilian shipping and naval vessels\u201d, adding if the attacks continued then the Houthis would \u201cbear the consequences.\u201d The countries also called for an \u201cimmediate end\u201d to the attacks which, they said, posed a \u201cdirect threat to freedom of navigation\u201d in the critical waterway through which almost 15 per cent of global trade passes.<\/p>\n
According to the International Chamber of Shipping, 20 per cent of the world\u2019s container ships are currently avoiding the Red Sea and steaming around southern Africa as a result of the attacks. The Iran-backed militia however, rejected the formal warning and vowed to continue targeting \u201cIsrael-linked\u201d vessels until the war in Gaza stopped.<\/p>\n
In a statement on January 4, Houthi spokesperson Dhaifallah al-Shami said that it was \u201ca moral failure and a miserable attempt to cover up the crimes of Israel\u201d, considering \u201cAmerica and Western countries are supporting Israel in committing more genocides against the Palestinian people\u201d, reports Xinhua news agency.<\/p>\n
He stressed that the armed group would continue attacking what it called \u201cIsrael-linked commercial ships\u201d until Israel ends its offensive in the Hamas-control enclave. The Houthis control much of northern Yemen, including capital Sanaa and the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, where the group has held the Galaxy Leader, a Japanese-operated cargo ship linked to an Israeli company, and its crew, since November 19, 2023.<\/p>\n
In December 2023, the US along with other Western countries had formed a multinational maritime coalition to secure the ships transiting the Red Sea from the Houthi attacks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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