USS Carney firing interceptors at missiles and drones launched from Yemen over the Red Sea on October 19. Source: U.S. Army.
The United States has helped Israel repel yet another drone attack by the Yemeni Houthis (Ansar Allah) on the port city of Eilat.
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 Eilat since the beginning of the Israeli war on the Palestinian Gaza Strip. It also assaulted a number of Israeli-owned ships and announced a blockade on all ships heading to the country.
Brigade General Yahya Sari, a spokesman for the Houthi, announced on December 26 that the group conducted drone attacks on the southernmost Israeli city and “other areas in occupied Palestine”. He added that the group also launched missiles at an MSC United vessel in the Red Sea after it rejected three warning calls.
The two attacks were carried out in support of “the oppressed Palestinian people,” the Houthi spokesman said in a statement.
Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a short statement on the downing of a “hostile aerial target,” which was heading toward Israel, adding that the Air Force air traffic control monitored the device throughout the incident. The IDF released footage showing the interception, which reportedly occurred off the coast of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Witnesses cited by Egyptian media said they saw something fall into the Gulf of Aqaba.
The U.S. military announced later that it had shot down 12 suicide drones and five missiles launched by the Houthis from Yemen.
In a statement, US Central Command said that the USS Laboon, a guided-missile destroyer, and F-18 fighter jets from the Eisenhower carrier strike group were involved in the effort to down 12 drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land attack cruise missiles in the southern Red Sea that were fired over a 10-hour period. There was no damage to ships in the area or injuries reported, according to the command.
Separately, MSC Mediterranean confirmed that MSC United VIII, which was en route from King Abdullah port in Saudi Arabia to Karachi port in Pakistan, came under attack but that the crew was safe. The shipping company said that it was conducting an assessment and reported the incident to the U.S.-led naval coalition in the Red Sea.
Recent attacks in the Red Sea forced some of the world’s largest shipping companies to suspend operations there, causing a shipping crisis.
In response, the U.S. launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to “ensure the safety of maritime traffic” in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden. However, the operation is already facing problems. Spain, Italy and France refused to take part in the operation. Several other allies of Washington declined to send warships.
