Global shipping giant Maersk is suspending operations in the Red Sea for 48 hours following the attack.
The US military says it has sunk three boats that attacked a container ship in the Red Sea as it continues its patrol mission to counter threats from Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Helicopters from two U.S. warships – the USS Eisenhower and the USS Gravely – fired on the “Iranian-backed Houthi small boats” in self-defense on Sunday morning while responding to an SOS call from the U.S.'s Singapore-flagged ship Maersk Hangzhou. Central Command responded (CENTCOM) said. The US helicopters sank three of the boats and killed several of their crew, it said. A fourth boat escaped.
Maersk Hangzhou issued its distress call after it came under fire from the Houthi boats, which came within 20 meters (65 feet) and also attempted to board it, CENTCOM said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
As the US helicopters responded, they also came under fire from Houthi boats, prompting them to return fire, the CENTCOM statement added.
Iran-backed Houthi small boats attack merchant ships and US Navy helicopters in the southern Red Sea
At 6:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) on December 31, the container ship MAERSK HANGZHOU issued a second distress call in less than 24 hours, reporting that it was under attack by four Iranian-backed ships. pic.twitter.com/pj8NAzjbVF
– US Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 31, 2023
It was the second suspected Houthi attack on the Maersk Hangzhou in less than 24 hours. Late Saturday evening, CENTCOM said it shot down two ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis while responding to a separate missile attack on Maersk Hangzhou.
Following the attacks, global shipping giant Maersk, which owns the ship, said it would suspend operations in the Red Sea for 48 hours, citing the ongoing threat to commercial vessels in the region.
The Houthi group has not yet commented on the incidents.
Attacks in the Red Sea
Amid Israel's war on Gaza, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have repeatedly attacked ships they believe are linked to Israel traveling in the Red Sea, pushing major global shipping companies like Maersk to leave the waterway to give up. The Houthis have said they will continue their attacks until Israel's attacks on Gaza stop.
The U.S. announced a global naval task force on Dec. 19 to protect shipping in the disputed waters, through which about 12 percent of global trade passes.
However, of the 20 countries that the US says have agreed to support the coalition, only the UK has directly provided warships, leaving Washington effectively able to act “alone” against the Houthis, Resul Serdar reports Al Jazeera from Djibouti on the sidelines of the Red Sea report.
“There is very little naval presence here,” Serdar said.
And although the presence of the US-led coalition initially appeared to restore confidence in the route, Houthi attacks on passing ships did not stop.
The group is increasingly using anti-ship ballistic missiles to attack ships, U.S. Vice Admiral Brad Cooper told The Associated Press, adding that the U.S. is “clearly aware that the Houthi's reckless attacks are likely to continue.” become”.
Al Jazeera's Serdar said it was clear that US naval forces “have failed to deter the Houthis so far” as the group continues to carry out more frequent attacks.
He said the latest clash represented a serious escalation as the US had not only sunk Houthi boats but also killed Houthi fighters. Such confrontations cause “great panic” among Yemenis, who fear the conflict could spill into their territory, he said.
“This could trigger another war that would harm the region,” Serdar said.
The unrest in the Red Sea comes as anger grows across the Middle East over the devastation in Gaza, where at least 21,822 Palestinians, including 8,800 children, have been killed by Israeli military strikes in less than three months.
The war began when Hamas carried out a shock cross-border attack into Israeli territory on October 7, killing about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to Israel.
The US, which has supported Israel militarily and diplomatically throughout the conflict, has also been subject to attacks on its assets and has faced more than 100 attacks from Iranian-backed groups in Syria and Iraq since the war began.
Are communication cables safe?
Amid fears that Yemen's Houthis could next attack key submarine communications cables that run under the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and serve internet networks, Yemen's Foreign Ministry said it was committed to protecting those networks.
“Yemen’s decision to prevent the passage of Israeli enemy ships does not affect ships of international companies licensed by Maritime Affairs – Sanaa to carry out submarine cable work,” the ministry said.
However, it added that vessels “carrying out undersea cable work” should “obtain necessary authorizations and approvals”.