Houthi rebels attack two US destroyers in Red Sea with devastating drone strike
Houthi rebels attacked two US destroyers in Red Sea with drone strikes, a Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson says.
Houthi rebels in Yemen have attacked two US destroyers and two vessels in the Red Sea with drone strikes.
The militants also targeted the MSC Orion in the Indian Ocean, the Iran-aligned group's military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a press conference.
Monday's attack happened off the coast of Mokha, Yemen, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The ship sustained damage in the attack, the UKMTO said, though its crew was safe and heading to its next port of call. The agency urged vessels to exercise caution in the area.
There was “an explosion in close proximity to a merchant vessel,” the UKMTO said. “Vessel and crew are reported safe.”
The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge any attack, though suspicion fell on the group. It typically takes the rebels several hours to claim their assaults.
It follows more than 50 strikes on ships and seized one vessel seizure since November. Another boat was also sunk, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.
Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a U.S.-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat.
American officials have speculated that the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the U.S.-led campaign against them and after firing drones and missiles steadily for months.
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However, the rebels have renewed their attacks in the past week. Early Sunday morning, the U.S. military shot down five drones in the air over the Red Sea, its Central Command said.
The drones “presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels in the region,” Central Command said in a statement.
The Houthis on Saturday claimed they shot down another of the U.S. military’s MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a Defense Department spokesperson, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Saturday that “a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen.” He said an investigation was underway, without elaborating.
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