Houthis deploy devastating UNDERSEA drones for first time in chilling new stealth threat to ships in Red Sea flashpoint
RED Sea ships face a new deadly threat from underwater drones, US forces have warned.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels Yemen have deployed an “unmanned underwater vehicle” for the first time, US headquarters CentCom revealed.
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The US has not released details about the underwater drone it destroyed.
But photos of the parts seized from the smuggler's boat on January 28 showed what appeared to be a torpedo propeller.
It could be the same model as what Iran unveiled in December: a new devastating and secretive homegrown undersea drone that can go as deep as 200 meters.
Iran's new toy acts like a torpedo by stealthily moving toward its target and exploding.
It comes as the crew of one Merchant ships registered in the United Kingdom were forced to abandon ship after a twin Houthi missile attack sank the ship in the treacherous Strait of Bab el-Mandeb.
The attack on the 170-meter-long Rubymar was by far the most damaging since October 23, when Houthi rebels stepped up their attacks in response to Israel's Gaza war.
Earlier, the US Red Sea Task Force said it had destroyed a mini-submarine, a surface maritime drone and three anti-ship cruise missiles over the weekend.
All five weapons posed an immediate threat to US warships and merchant ships in the region, CentCom added.
The strikes came days after US officials announced their findings seized drone parts underwater on a gunboat in the Arabian Sea.
A US Coast Guard cutter stormed the unnamed ship full of weapons parts from Iran.
CentCom said: “The boarding team discovered more than 200 packages containing components for medium-range ballistic missiles, explosives and unmanned underwater vehicles. [and] surface vehicle components, military-grade communications and networking equipment, anti-tank guided missile launchers and other military components.”
Ukraine has proven the power of naval drones by sinking Russian warships, including the The landing ship Caesar Kunikov And Ivanovet's corvette this month.
Naval expert HI Sutton warned that underwater drones were more likely to surprise their targets and force Navy ships to change tactics.
He wrote for the US Naval Institute News: “Underwater weapons are inherently more difficult to detect and counter than surface vessels.
“They are more likely to surprise the target and cause holes below the waterline, which can be more damaging.
“They also require different tactics for the escorting warships to counter them.
“Ukraine has amply demonstrated the effectiveness of explosive-laden surface drones against Russian platforms.
“The Houthis have had less success, largely due to the presence of the US Navy and allied warships in the region.”
Sutton said drones that resemble torpedoes are usually slower than normal torpedoes but have a longer range.
He said they are “most effective against static targets such as ships in port or at anchor.”
On Monday, photos reportedly showed the debris of a US drone after it was shot down by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
Yemen's Houthis shot down the US drone MQ9 in the port city of Hodeidah, according to military spokesman Yahya Sarea.
Who are the Houthis?
THE Houthi rebels have been terrorizing the Red Sea by launching persistent missile and drone attacks on ships and warships – but who are they?
The Shiite militant group, which now controls most of Yemen, was largely ignored by the world for more than a decade.
However, since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Gaza, they have disappeared from relative obscurity accounting for around £1 trillion in global trade held hostage – making it one of the busiest in the world shipping routes to an active war zone.
Their twisted slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews and Victory for Islam.”
Why do they attack ships?
The rebel group has launched brutal drone and missile attacks on all ships – including warships – they believe are linked to Israel, in solidarity with their ally Hamas.
In reality, however, there have been frequent attacks on commercial ships with little or no connection to Israel, forcing global maritime traffic to halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices soaring.
The naval attacks have threatened to unleash a full-blown war in the Middle East, while the intense ripples of Israel's war in Gaza are being felt across the region – with Iran suspected of fomenting the chaos.
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea increased by 50 percent between November and December as the rebel group's leaders vowed that their attacks would continue until Israel halted its offensive in Gaza.
And despite repeated threats from the West and joint attacks from the US and Britain destroying their strongholds in Yemen, Iran's terror representative appears undeterred.
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