Houthis in Yemen are on the brink of an expanding naval confrontation mainly with Washington, following their widescale attack that was thwarted this week.
Houthis on Tuesday launched their biggest attack yet on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, officials said, with the barrage of drones and missiles being shot down by US and UK warships.
The Iran-backed militia’s barrage included 18 drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile, the US military’s Central Command said in a statement.
This assault, the twenty-sixth since November 19, disrupted shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthis claim to support Palestinians in Gaza by blocking ships heading to or from Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality.
This ongoing trend raises concerns about the impact on international trade routes and security in the Red Sea.
Moreover, observers speculate that Washington might consider designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization, given the Houthi’s persistence and commitment to maritime escalation.
The assault happened off the Yemeni port cities of Hodeidah and Mokha, according to the private intelligence firm Ambrey.
In the Hodeidah attack, Ambrey said ships described over radio seeing missiles and drones, with US-allied warships in the area urging “vessels to proceed at maximum speed.”
Off Mokha, ships saw missiles fired, a drone in the air and small vessels trailing them, Ambrey said early Wednesday. The British military's United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations (UKMTO) also acknowledged the attack off Hodeidah.
The US military’s Central Command said the “complex attack” launched by the Houthis included bomb-carrying drones, anti-ship cruise missiles and one anti-ship ballistic missile.
It said 18 drones, two cruise missiles and the anti-ship missile were downed by F-18s from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, as well as by American Arleigh Burke-class destroyers the USS Gravely, the USS Laboon and the USS Mason, as well as the United Kingdom's HMS Diamond.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps described the assault as "the largest attack by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea to date," saying the Diamond used Sea Viper missiles and guns to shoot down multiple drones.
