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A Houthi drone boat packed with explosives got within a “couple of miles” of United States Navy and commercial vessels in the Red Sea before detonating on January 4, just hours after the White House and 12 allied nations issued a final warning to the Yemeni group to cease the attacks against shipping.
The Houthis, who control much of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, are a part of the so-called Axis of Resistance that is backed by Iran and opposes Israel.
The group has fired several missiles and drones at the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat since the beginning of the Israeli war on the Palestinian Gaza Strip. It also assaulted a number of Israeli-related ships and announced a blockade on all ships heading to Israel.
Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said that it was the first time the Houthis had used an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) since their “harassment” of commercial ships in the Red Sea began.
The USV traveled from Yemen into international shipping lanes “clearly with the intent to do harm” before detonating, Cooper added.
It wasn’t clear if a specific ship was targeted, and the USV exploded without causing damage to any ships or injuring any crews.
This was the 25th Houthi attack on ships in the Red Sea since November 18th, Cooper said, noting that the attacks are almost certain to continue.
“There are no signs their irresponsible behavior is abating,” Cooper told reporters in a briefing Thursday morning.
Last month, the U.S. deployed an aircraft carrier, the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, near Yemen and launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect movement in the Red Sea, through which 12 percent of global trade passes.
Cooper said the coalition now consists of 22 countries and is expected to grow. Since the start of the operation, 19 drones and missiles launched from Houthi territory have been shot down and three small boats of the Houthis have been sunk, according to the commander.
Ten Houthi fighters were killed in the attack on the boats, which was carried out by U.S. Navy helicopters. The group vowed to respond.
In a final warning issued earlier this week, the U.S. and its allies said that Houthis will face “consequences” unless they stop their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. Any attack by the coalition is guaranteed to provoke a response from the Houthis, who possess advanced offensive capabilities that are not limited to USVs.
