In the context of the war between Hamas and Israel, tensions in the Red Sea continue to rise. The American army said it intercepted numerous drones and missiles fired by the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group backed by Iran, in the area.
The United States, along with an international coalition, is patrolling this strategic region of the world to protect maritime traffic from attacks by the Houthis, who say they are in solidarity with the Palestinian Hamas. On Tuesday, U.S. forces “downed 12 attack drones, three anti-ship missiles and two cruise missiles fired by the Houthis in the southern Red Sea” over the course of “approximately 10 hours,” the U.S. military said in a statement Middle East with Command (Centcom).
Houthis claim attacks
Some intercepts were conducted by fighter jets operating from the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower, which was on site, Centcom said. “There was no damage to boats in the area and no injuries were reported,” he announced in a press release published on X.
The Houthi rebels had previously asserted in a statement that they had carried out “a targeted operation against a merchant ship” called MSC UNITED and “launched drones against military targets” in southern Israel. The Israeli army said it intercepted “an enemy air target” heading toward its territory.
Iran singled it out
Since the war began on October 7 between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, the Houthis have carried out increased attacks in the Red Sea on ships off the coast of Yemen with alleged ties to Israel in solidarity with Gaza. According to the Pentagon, the Houthis, who control entire swathes of Yemeni territory, including the capital Sanaa, have already launched around a hundred drone and missile attacks, targeting a total of 10 merchant ships from more than 35 countries.
Iran was “heavily involved in the planning” of the Houthis’ attacks in the Red Sea, the White House said on Friday. These attacks, which threaten to disrupt the flow of global maritime trade along a strategic route, have prompted the United States to establish a multinational maritime defense force in the Red Sea.