Yemen's Houthi rebels launched the largest ever barrage of drones and missiles targeting ships in the Red Sea, forcing the U.S. and British navies to shoot down the projectiles in a major maritime engagement, officials said Wednesday. Announced.
No damage was immediately reported.
The attack by the Iranian-backed Houthis came despite a UN Security Council resolution scheduled for late Wednesday condemning the rebel attack and calling for an immediate halt. The rebels say their attacks are aimed at stopping Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. .
But their targets have increasingly tenuous or no ties to Israel; endanger important trade routes Connecting Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
This raises the risk that the United States could launch a retaliatory attack on Yemen, potentially upending the uneasy ceasefire maintained in the Arab world's poorest country.
The attacks occurred off the coast of Yemen's port city of Hodeidah and Mokha, according to private intelligence firm Ambry.
In the Hodeidah attack, U.S.-allied warships in the area urged “ships to proceed at maximum speed,” Ambry said, as ships radioed to report sightings of missiles and drones.
Ambry said he saw ships firing missiles off the coast of Moka early Wednesday, followed by drones flying and small vessels in pursuit.
The British military's British Sea Trade Operations also confirmed the attack off Hodeidah.
The U.S. Central Command said the Houthis launched a “complex attack” that included bomb-laden drones, anti-ship cruise missiles and an anti-ship ballistic missile.
The report said 18 unmanned aircraft, two cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles were used on aircraft carrier Dwight D. , was shot down by the aircraft carrier USS Mason. The same goes for Britain's HMS Diamond.
“This is the 26th attack by the Houthis on commercial shipping routes in the Red Sea since November 19,” Central Command said. “No injuries or damage were reported.”
UKTMO added: “Ships are advised to navigate with caution and report any suspicious activity.”
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps described the attack as “the largest attack ever by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea”, saying the Diamond used Sea Viper missiles and guns to shoot down multiple drones. He said he did.
“The UK, along with our allies, have previously made clear that these unlawful attacks are completely unacceptable and if they continue, the Houthis will will bear the consequences” Mr Shapps said in a statement. “We will take the necessary steps to protect innocent lives and the global economy.”
The Houthi Shiite group, which has controlled Yemen's capital since 2014, has not officially acknowledged launching the attack.
But the pan-Arab satellite news network Al Jazeera quoted an unnamed Houthi military official as saying that the Houthi forces had “targeted ships with ties to Israel in the Red Sea,” without elaborating. Ta.
The Houthis say their attack is aimed at ending heavy Israeli air strikes targeting the Gaza Strip amid its war with Hamas.
But the link to the vessels targeted by rebel attacks has become more tenuous as the attacks continue.
The Red Sea connects the Middle East and Asia with Europe via the Suez Canal and its narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The strait is just 18 miles wide at its narrowest point, limiting shipping to two channels: one for incoming cargo and one for outgoing cargo, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Almost 10% of oil traded by sea passes through the ocean. An estimated $1 trillion of goods pass through the strait annually.
A draft U.S. resolution at the U.N. Security Council obtained by The Associated Press late Tuesday said Houthi attacks disrupt global commerce and “impair the rights and freedoms of navigation, as well as regional peace and security.” It has said.
The resolution calls for the immediate release of the Galaxy Leader, the first ship attacked by the Houthis. The Galaxy Leader is a Japanese-run cargo ship connected to an Israeli company that was seized along with its crew by the Houthis in November.
The original draft of the resolution would have recognized “the right of member states to take appropriate measures, in accordance with international law, for the defense of their commercial and naval vessels.”
The final draft is weaker and excludes UN recognition of a country's right to defend its own ships. Instead, it affirms that the rights and freedoms of navigation of commercial ships and ships must be respected, and “takes note of the right of Member States to defend their ships against attacks, including attacks that impair the right of navigation, in accordance with international law.” It is said that And freedom. ”
A multinational coalition led by the United States is patrolling the Red Sea to thwart any attacks. In one conflict, American forces sank a Houthi ship and killed 10 rebel fighters.
“Let us make our message clear now: We call for an immediate end to these unlawful attacks and the release of the vessels and crews illegally detained,” the two countries announced last Wednesday. “If the Houthis continue to threaten human lives, the global economy, and the freedom of commerce in the region's vital waterways, they will bear the consequences.”
Despite warnings from the United States, widespread retaliatory strikes have yet to take place. But Tuesday's attack seemed to be testing Washington's response, if any.
Meanwhile, a separate interim ceasefire between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition fighting on behalf of Yemen's government-in-exile has been in place for months despite the country's long war.
That has raised concerns that a broader conflict at sea or the possibility of retaliatory attacks by Western powers could reignite tensions in the Arab world's poorest country. It could also draw Iran, which has so far largely avoided direct participation in the broader Israel-Hamas war, further into the conflict.
