US Navy helicopters on Sunday fired on Iran-backed Houthi rebels attempting to board a cargo ship off Yemen, the military said, with the rebels reporting 10 fighters dead or missing.
The clash in the Red Sea marked a deadly escalation since the US set up a multinational naval task force early last month to protect the vital shipping lane against attacks by the Houthis, who control the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, and much of the nation’s Red Sea coast.
The rebels — who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza — have repeatedly fired drones and missiles at passing ships in the seaway through which 12 percent of global trade passes.
Photo: EPA-EFE
US Central Command said the navy had responded to a distress call from the Maersk Hangzhou, a Danish-owned container ship that reported coming under attack for a second time in 24 hours while transiting the Red Sea.
The vessel had earlier been targeted with two anti-ship ballistic missiles. One was shot down by the US military and the other hit the ship.
The Houthis had then fired on US helicopters, which “returned fire in self-defense,” sinking three of four small boats that had come within 20m of the ship, a statement said.
It said the crews of the three vessels were killed, while the fourth boat fled the area.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree confirmed in a statement on social media that 10 members of the group’s naval forces were “killed or missing” in the US strike.
Saree said the ship was attacked as part of the rebels’ campaign to stop Israeli or Israel-bound vessels from transiting the Red Sea.
“Yemen’s naval forces once again remind all countries of our advice not to be drawn into American plans aimed at sparking a conflict in the Red Sea”, he said, adding that the Houthis are determined to confront “any aggression against our country and our people.”
Maersk suspended the passage of its vessels through the Red Sea for 48 hours after the latest of about two dozen attacks by Houthis on international shipping in the past six weeks.
The cargo ship, en route from Singapore to Egypt’s Port Suez, had earlier issued a distress call after it was struck by the Houthi missile. US Central Command said that assault was the 23rd illegal attack by the Houthis on international shipping since Nov. 19.
The vessel appeared to be undamaged and “was able to continue its transit north,” Maersk said.
“In light of the incident — and to allow time to investigate the details of the incident and assess the security situation further — it has been decided to delay all transits through the area for the next 48 hours,” the company said.
Regional tensions have spiked since Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
US forces in Iraq and Syria have repeatedly come under fire from drone and rocket attacks that Washington says are being carried out by Iran-backed groups, while Israel has traded near-daily cross-border fire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.
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