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The Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen announced on March 5 that they had launched multiple missile and drone attacks against two United States Navy warships in the Red Sea.
“We carried out a qualitative military operation, targeting two American warships in the Red Sea. The operation was carried out with a number of naval missiles and drones,” Houthi military spokesperson Brigade General Yahya Sarea said in a statement. “Our armed forces will not hesitate to expand attacks against all hostile targets to support the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, as well as in response to the U.S.-British aggression against our country (Yemen).”
The spokesman also warned that the group will not stop its attacks until “the Israeli offensive in Gaza stops and the siege imposed on the Palestinian people is lifted”.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced later in a statement that its forces shot down on March 5 one anti-ship ballistic missile and three one-way attack unmanned aerial systems launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward USS Carney in the Red Sea. There are no injuries or damage to the ship, according to the command.
It also said in the same statement that its forces destroyed three anti-ship missiles and three unmanned surface vessels in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in “self-defense”.
“CENTCOM forces identified the missiles, UAVs, and USVs and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the U.S. Navy ships in the region,” the statement reads. “These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels.”
Yemen’s Al-Masriah TV, which is run by the Houthis, said that five “American-British” strikes hit the western province of al-Hodeidah on March 5. Two of the strikes hit the area of Ras Issa in the al-Salif district northwest of the city, while three others occurred in the area of al-Jabbanah in the western part of the city. The news channel didn’t report any casualties.
The last wave of strikes didn’t apparently deter the Houthis. On March 6, British security firm Ambrey reported an explosion in the vicinity of a Barbados-flagged, U.S.-owned cargo ship off the port of Aden in southern Yemen.
The firm said in a notice that the ship, located approximately 57 nautical miles southwest of Aden, was hailed by an entity declaring itself to be the “Yemeni Navy” and ordered to alter course.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a Royal Navy detachment that watches over Middle East waterways, also reported the incident.
The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, have targeted dozens of Israel-affiliated vessels and others owned by the U.S. and the United Kingdom in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 19 in response to the ongoing Israeli war and siege on Gaza, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 30,000 Palestinians.
The U.S. and the UK retaliated to the repeated attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by carrying out strikes on more than 200 targets in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. However, the group is yet to halt its attacks.
