A drone boat laden with explosives launched from a part of Yemen controlled by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels came within “few miles” of a U.S. Navy and commercial ship in the Red Sea on Thursday, the Pentagon said. , then exploded.
The explosion of the unmanned surface vessel (USV), which had sailed 80 miles from Yemen into the Red Sea shipping lanes, prompted the United States and 11 other countries to call on and warn Yemen's Houthis to halt attacks on commercial ships in the area. I woke up after that. Unspecified “results”.
U.S. Navy Secretary Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said the incident was the first time the group had attempted to use drone ships to attack commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the Israeli-Hamas war began in October. Military Central Command.
“We all saw it collide and explode within a few miles of a commercial vessel and a U.S. Navy vessel that was operating in the area,” Cooper told reporters, adding that the intended target of the attack was unknown. He pointed out that.
Since November 18, the Houthis have launched numerous exploding drones and missiles onto commercial ships in an attempt to damage them, protesting Israel's deadly and devastating air and ground military operations in the Gaza Strip. I'm aiming.
The shelling disrupted international shipping and caused some companies to stop sailing in the Red Sea.
Mr Cooper said there had been 25 Houthi attacks on commercial ships sailing in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since mid-November, including on Thursday, and there was “no sign of their irresponsible behavior abating”. .
There have been no casualties so far, but he suggested it may only be a matter of time before that happens.
“The shipping lanes in this region are dense. Ships are approaching choke points… They form very narrow lines and often travel close to each other,” Cooper said. “This, coupled with the fact that Houthi missiles often miss their intended targets, means that any vessel is truly at risk of collateral damage at any time when passing through Houthi-controlled areas near the southern Red Sea. It means being exposed to.”
Mr. Cooper said that since December 18, when the United States launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, a maritime task force that currently includes 22 countries, aimed at protecting ships from Houthi incursions in the Red Sea, Houthi drones have been He said no missiles have hit commercial ships in the waterway.
The United States, Britain and France are providing the bulk of the warships, but Greece and Denmark will likely follow suit with their own ships, he said.
Since the start of Operation Prosperity Guardian, coalition forces have shot down 19 drones and missiles, including two cruise missiles and six anti-ship ballistic missiles. Cooper said the group also sank three small Houthi boats on Sunday.
He added that 1,500 commercial ships have been able to safely pass through the waterway since it began operations.
Still, President Biden is under pressure from lawmakers to respond militarily, and his administration has backed away from defensive strikes amid concerns it could worsen regional tensions or escalate into a broader conflict. He expresses hesitation about not doing so.
“This is a global crisis brought on by weak presidential leadership. It's time for President Biden to grant regional commanders the freedom of action they need to end Houthi terrorism.” Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) said in a statement late Thursday. “We cannot allow terrorists to control the flow of global trade on one of the world's largest shipping lanes.”
Meanwhile, Cooper said Operation Prosperity Guardian is strictly defensive in nature.
“What happens outside of the defensive side of this operation is a completely different operation,” he said.
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