Red Sea: Houthis claim attacks on US warships

In a clear escalation of geopolitical unrest in the Middle East, Houthi insurgents are now directly targeting US naval ships with drones.

PHOTO: Cargo vessels transiting the Suez Canal. Getty Images

This latest move underscores several airstrikes launched at commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb trade routes, the Yemeni militia’s spokesperson Yahya Sare’e confirmed on social media platform X (Formerly Twitter).  

The actions of the Iran-backed militant group have raised concerns about the potential ramifications of such targeted attacks on the broader global relations.

Sare’e also confirmed that the group launched ballistic missiles at the Israeli city of Eilat and the Umm al-Rashrash area from a base in Yemen.

The attack posed a direct threat to the region's major oil producer, Saudi Arabia. The shortest flight route for any drone or missile launched from Yemen to Israel crosses over the western part of Saudi Arabia, which is closer to the Red Sea.

‘Israeli’ ships in target

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency has observed a drastic rise in the Israel-Hamas conflict spillover in the Red Sea over the past three months.  

The agency reported heightened Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) activity and an explosion on Tuesday, about 40 nautical miles to the west of Al Hudaydah, off Yemen’s coast.  

The Houthis claim that the cargo vessel, MSC Silver, which came under multiple attacks as a result was linked to Israel. However, there is no substantial evidence for this claim.

UK-based maritime security firm Ambrey said that the container vessel was in fact Liberia-flagged and headed for Somalia, Reuters reported. It is operated by Swiss shipping major Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).

The militant group, which holds sway over Yemen's coast, have targeted commercial ships linked to the US, the UK, and Israel, leading to subsequent retaliatory strikes by the Western forces.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces launched four self-defense strikes against seven mobile anti-ship missiles yesterday. “CENTCOM forces shot down a one-way attack unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in self-defense,” it said.

By Aparupa Mazumder 

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