No injuries or damage were reported. It was the Houthis' 26th attack on commercial shipping routes in the Red Sea since November 19.
Given an increasing number of attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels, the US military increased its cooperation with the armed forces of other countries in the region in mid-December. According to the US Department of Defense in Washington, several countries are participating in the new security initiative called “Operation Guardian of Prosperity”, including the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain. Greater cooperation between naval forces aims to improve the protection of merchant ships.
Since the outbreak of war in Gaza between Israel and Islamist Hamas, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked ships with alleged Israeli links in the Red Sea. Only freighters delivering aid to the Gaza Strip would be allowed passage. Several ships have been attacked since then, including a container freighter belonging to the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd. Large shipping companies increasingly avoid the route through the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Houthi rebels have also repeatedly attacked Israel directly with drones and rockets.
About ten percent of all world trade passes through the Red Sea. The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, providing the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe. The alternative route around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa extends the transport by a few days.