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US Navy Thwarts Houthi Attack in Red Sea, Militias Remain Defiant

The Houthi attacks are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade. (Reuters)
The Houthi attacks are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade. (Reuters)
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US Navy Thwarts Houthi Attack in Red Sea, Militias Remain Defiant

The Houthi attacks are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade. (Reuters)
The Houthi attacks are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade. (Reuters)

An American warship shot down a drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile fired Thursday by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militias, the US military said.

In a post on the X platform on Thursday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM): “The USS MASON (DDG 87) shot down one drone and one anti-ship ballistic missile in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the Houthis between 5:45 - 6: 10 p.m. (Sanaa time) on Dec. 28.”

“There was no damage to any of the 18 ships in the area or reported injuries. This is the 22nd attempted attack by Houthis on international shipping since Oct. 19,” it noted.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane with strikes they say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling Hamas.

The attacks are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade, prompting the United States to set up a multinational naval task force earlier this month to protect Red Sea shipping.

In addition to US military action, the Treasury Department unveiled sanctions Thursday against a network involved in financing Houthi attacks.

The Treasury said it had sanctioned the head of the Currency Exchangers Association in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, along with three exchanges in Yemen and Türkiye responsible for "facilitating the flow of Iranian financial assistance" to the Houthis.

The Houthis say they are targeting Israel and Israeli-linked vessels to push for a stop to the offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis remain defiant. Defense minister in its illegitimate government Mohammed al-Atefi said the militias “don’t recognize red lines,” claiming that they possess weapons with “unexpected” ranges.

Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam threatened to turn the Red Sea into a battlefield after the US Navy shot down a Houthi drone.

He warned the US against its continued “bullish” activity, saying the Houthis were justified in attacking vessels in the Red Sea after Washington and its allies turned the region into a military zone.

He charged that the US and its allies are passing through the region solely to protect Israeli vessels.

The latest round of the Israel-Hamas conflict began when the Palestinian militant group carried out a shock cross-border attack from Gaza on Oct. 7 that killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Following the attack, the United States rushed military aid to Israel, which has carried out a relentless campaign in Gaza that has killed at least 21,320 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

Those deaths have sparked widespread anger in the Middle East and provided an impetus for attacks by armed groups across the region that are opposed to Israel.

US forces in Iraq and Syria have also repeatedly come under fire from drone and rocket attacks that Washington says are being carried out by Iran-backed armed groups.

On Monday, a drone attack wounded three American personnel in northern Iraq, after which the US military struck three sites it said were used by Iran-backed forces in the country.

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Burning Oil Tanker Safely Towed Away from Yemen After Houthi Attacks 

In this photo released of EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, the EU naval mission working in the Red Sea, on the X platform formerly known as Twitter, on Sept. 16, 2024, the Greek-flagged oil tanker MV-Sounion, left, is towed. (EUNAFOR ASPIDES via AP)
In this photo released of EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, the EU naval mission working in the Red Sea, on the X platform formerly known as Twitter, on Sept. 16, 2024, the Greek-flagged oil tanker MV-Sounion, left, is towed. (EUNAFOR ASPIDES via AP)
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Burning Oil Tanker Safely Towed Away from Yemen After Houthi Attacks 

In this photo released of EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, the EU naval mission working in the Red Sea, on the X platform formerly known as Twitter, on Sept. 16, 2024, the Greek-flagged oil tanker MV-Sounion, left, is towed. (EUNAFOR ASPIDES via AP)
In this photo released of EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, the EU naval mission working in the Red Sea, on the X platform formerly known as Twitter, on Sept. 16, 2024, the Greek-flagged oil tanker MV-Sounion, left, is towed. (EUNAFOR ASPIDES via AP)

Salvagers successfully towed a Greek-flagged oil tanker ablaze for weeks after attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militias to a safe area without any oil spill, a European Union naval mission said Monday.

The Sounion reached waters away from Yemen as the Houthis meanwhile claimed that they shot down another American-made MQ-9 Reaper drone, with video circulating online showing what appeared to be a surface-to-air missile strike and flaming wreckage strewn across the ground.

The two events show the challenges still looming for the world as it tries to mitigate a monthslong campaign by the militias over the Israel-Hamas war raging in the Gaza Strip. While the Houthis allowed the Sounion to be moved, they continue to threaten ships moving through the Red Sea, a waterway that once saw $1 trillion in goods move through it a year.

The EU naval mission, known as Operation Aspides, issued a statement via the social platform X announcing the ship had been moved.

The Sounion “has been successfully towed to a safe area without any oil spill,” the EU mission said. “While private stakeholders complete the salvage operation, Aspides will continue to monitor the situation.”

The Houthis had no immediate comment and it wasn't clear where the vessel was, though it likely was taken north away from Yemen. Salvagers still need to offload some 1 million barrels of crude oil aboard the Sounion, which officials feared could leak into the Red Sea, killing marine life and damaging corals in the waterway.

Meanwhile, the US military said it was aware of the Houthis' claimed downing of a drone over the country's southwestern Dhamar province, without elaborating.

The Houthis have exaggerated claims in the past in their ongoing campaign targeting shipping in the Red Sea over the Israel-Hamas war. However, the online video bolstered the claim, particularly after two recent claims by the Houthis included no evidence.

Other videos showed armed Houthis gathered around the flaming wreckage, a propeller similar to those used by the armed drone visible in the flames. One attempted to pick up a piece of the metal before dropping it due to the heat. The Houthis later aired their own footage of the shootdown and debris.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, identified the drone as an MQ-9, without elaborating on how he came to the determination. He said it was the third downed by the group in a week, though the other two claims did not include similar video or other evidence. The US military similarly has not acknowledged losing any aircraft.

Saree said the Houthis used a locally produced missile. However, Iran has armed the militants with a surface-to-air missile known as the 358 for years. Iran denies arming the Houthis, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in seaborne shipments heading to Yemen despite a United Nations arms embargo.

Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the US military and the CIA over Yemen for years.

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well.

The Houthis maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.