U.S. Navy helicopters sank three Houthi rebel boats on Sunday after coming under fire from the terrorists.
The incident started around 6:30 am Sunday local time (10:30 pm Saturday EST) when a commercial cargo vessel known as the Maersk Hangzhou issued a distress call after coming under attack “by four Iranian-backed Houthi small boats,” according to a statement from U.S. Central Command.
“The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew served and small arms weapons at the Maersk Hangzhou, getting to within 20 meters of the vessel, and attempted to board the vessel,” the statement reads.
Iranian-backed Houthi small boats attack merchant vessel and U.S. Navy helicopters in Southern Red Sea
On Dec. 31 at 6:30am (Sanaa time) the container ship MAERSK HANGZHOU issued a second distress call in less than 24 hours reporting being under attack by four Iranian-backed… pic.twitter.com/pj8NAzjbVF
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 31, 2023
Meanwhile, as a security team onboard the vessel returned fire, the U.S.S. Eisenhower and U.S.S. Gravely deployed U.S. helicopters to the scene.
When they arrived, they tried issuing verbal calls for the terrorists to stop firing, but the Houthi rebels refused to listen. That’s when the helicopters opened fire.
“The U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews. The fourth boat fled the area. There was no damage to U.S. personnel or equipment,” according to Central Command.
Appearing on ABC News‘ “Good Morning America” later Sunday morning EST, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby stressed that the Biden administration isn’t purposefully trying to escalate tensions with the Houthis.
“We don’t seek a conflict wider in the region and we’re not looking for a conflict with the Houthis,” he said. “The best outcome here would be for the Houthis to stop these attacks as we have made clear over and over again.”
That said, when he was asked whether a pre-emptive strike is on the table if the Houthis keep attacking, he said, “We’re not ruling anything in or out.”
“We have made it clear publicly to the Houthis and privately to our allies and partners, and we’re going to make the right decisions going forward,” he added.
All this comes amid weeks of Houthi rebels attacking commercial ships passing through the Red Sea. The terrorists have claimed that their attacks are designed to hurt ships they believe are linked to Israel, which is currently at war with the Iranian-backed Palestinians.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels are disrupting world shipping with hundreds of missile attacks in the Red Sea, a crucial commercial route that accounts for 12% of global trade. pic.twitter.com/QQBHpLquKS
— euronews (@euronews) December 27, 2023
“The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, launching a grinding war against a Saudi-led coalition that sought to restore the government. The militants have sporadically targeted ships in the region, but the attacks increased since the start of the Israel-Hamas war,” according to the Associated Press.
“The Houthi threatened to attack any vessel they believe is either going to or coming from Israel. That has escalated to apparently any vessel, with container ships and oil tankers flagged to countries such as Norway and Liberia being attacked or drawing missile fire,” the AP notes.
Making matters worse, the Houthi rebels have shown no sign of ending their “reckless” attacks, according to Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the top commander of U.S. naval forces in the Middle East.
The only good news is that more countries continue to sign up to take part in a thus far mostly successful international maritime mission to protect boats in the Red Sea, with Denmark being the latest nation to join the team.
“Since Operation Prosperity Guardian was announced just over 10 days ago, 1,200 merchant ships have traveled through the Red Sea region, and none had been hit by drone or missile strikes,” the AP notes.
Foreign Secretary said he was “extremely concerned” about the #Houthi attacks “because the freedom of shipping and maritime security are incredibly important not just #Britain, but actually the whole world”.
Houthi rebels pledged to disrupt maritime traffic over #Israel’s… pic.twitter.com/TpxQ4ZqUR8
— Noor Dahri – نور ڈاہری (@dahrinoor2) December 24, 2023
However, a number of countries have still not joined the mission, with Bahrain reportedly being the only Middle Eastern nation to take part.
“The US has invited all 38 other members of what is known as the Combined Maritime Forces, or CMF, a US-led maritime security coalition in the Middle East, to join it,” according to Deutsche Welle. “So far, only nine countries have publicly said they will join the US: Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the Seychelles and the UK.” (plus Denmark)
“But one of the biggest question marks was around the absence of any larger Middle Eastern nations. Bahrain is the only Middle Eastern nation involved so far. But this is no surprise: the small nation is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.”
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