US Navy kills several Yemeni Houthi rebels in Red Sea, feared armed escalation involving US and Britain

The US military took action after Maersk Hangzhou was reportedly hit by a missile as it transited the Southern Red Sea.

The Houthi rebels in Yemen: Amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas that erupted following the latter’s attack from the southern border on October 7, the US military announced on Sunday that its forces opened fire on Houthi rebels after they attacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea , which killed some of them. .

The Houthi rebels, who are reportedly backed by Iran, have been attacking MVs and cargo ships transiting the Red Sea since October 7 in a show of solidarity and protest against Israel’s relentless bombing and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

U.S. Central Command said in a series of statements that the crew of the USS Gravely destroyer late Saturday first shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired at the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou. The US military is said to have acted after Maersk Hangzhou was reportedly hit by a missile earlier that evening as it sailed through the Southern Red Sea.

The anti-ship ballistic missiles are believed to have been fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, whose four small boats attacked the same cargo ship with small arms fire early Sunday morning and the rebels tried to board the ship, the US Navy said, adding that the USS Gravely and helicopters from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower responded to the distress call from the Maersk Hangzhou and issued verbal warnings to the attackers who responded by firing on the helicopters.

“The U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense,” sinking three of the four boats and killing those on board, while the fourth boat fled the area, U.S. Central Command said. There were no reports of damage to U.S. personnel or equipment, nor of casualties from the freighter.

Meanwhile, the Houthis acknowledged that 10 of their fighters had been killed in the clash and warned of the consequences.

The Central Command said the events surrounding the Maersk Hangzhou represented the 23rd illegal attack by the Houthis on international shipping since November 19. It was the first time the US Navy said its personnel had killed Houthi fighters since attacks on the Red Sea began.

Iran-backed Houthis have been claiming attacks on ships in the Red Sea for more than a month that they say are either linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports. They say their strikes aim to end the Israeli air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip triggered by the October 7 attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in southern Israel. Interestingly, ties with the ships targeted in the Houthi attacks have become shaky and weak.

Denmark-based shipping giant Maersk, which owns Maersk Hangzhou, said on Sunday it would again suspend shipping through the Red Sea following the two attacks on its cargo ship.

“In light of the (latest) incident – ​​and to allow time to investigate the details of the incident and further assess the security situation – it has been decided that all transit through the area will be postponed for the next 48 hours” , said Maersk. was quoted by the Danish public broadcaster DR.

On Saturday, the top commander of US naval forces in the Middle East said the Houthi rebels have shown no sign of ending their “reckless” attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, even as more countries join the international maritime mission to protect ships in the crucial areas. waterway and trade traffic is starting to get going again.

The Pentagon announced Operation Prosperity Guardian just over 10 days ago to counter attacks on ships, and earlier this month the United States announced the creation of a new international coalition to protect ships transiting the waterway. The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain are part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, the maritime security mission.

There are unconfirmed reports doing the rounds on social media that British Foreign Secretary James Cameron called Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian and they reportedly discussed “important regional developments.”

(With Associated Press inputs)