A ship’s captain reported being attacked by an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) which was successfully disabled about 63 nautical miles (116 km) southwest of Yemen’s Hodeidah, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said earlier today. The vessel also reported two explosions in its close proximity, UKMTO and British maritime security firm Ambrey said. Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched attacks on international shipping near Yemen since last November in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas.
On Tuesday, UKMTO added that a separate ship located 179 km northwest of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah reported an explosion in its vicinity. The vessels and crew involved in both incidents are safe and proceeding to their next port of call. The Houthi attacks have drawn U.S. and British retaliatory strikes and disrupted global trade as ship owners reroute vessels away from the Red Sea and Suez Canal to sail the longer route around the southern tip of Africa.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated on Friday that its forces destroyed an Iranian-backed Houthi missile launcher and an uncrewed surface vessel in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in the previous 24 hours. The forces also destroyed two Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles over the Red Sea, CENTCOM said in a post on social media. “These weapons presented a clear and imminent threat to U.S. and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region,” CENTCOM added. CENTCOM is the U.S. military command that covers the West Asia region.
The Houthis have also launched missiles and drones at Israel and disrupted global trade through the Red Sea in response to Israel’s assault on Hamas in Gaza, further destabilising the Middle East as war in the Palestinian enclave rages on after ten months. Israel says the Houthis have launched 200 attacks against it since the Gaza war began, many of them intercepted and most of them not deadly. Only a single fatality has been caused by these attacks.
Team Bharatshakti
(With inputs from Reuters)
