DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An armed group has launched two attacks Houthi rebels in Yemen Ships targeted in the Red Sea on Monday New US aircraft carrier The United States has been deployed to the region to provide security for a key international trade route that has been under attack since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out nine months ago.
British and US authorities said three small Houthi vessels, two manned and one unmanned, attacked the Panama-flagged, Israeli-owned Bentley 1 off the coast of Hodeidah in Yemen.
The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations Centre said the “unmanned small craft rammed the ship twice and the two manned small craft opened fire on the ship”. “The ship took self-protection measures and after 15 minutes the small craft called off the attack,” it added.
The captain later reported three separate waves of missile attacks that exploded very close to the ship.
Later on Monday, in a separate incident off the same coast, the Liberian-flagged and Marshall Islands-owned oil tanker MT Chios Leon was attacked by a Houthi drone, “which crashed into the harbour side causing some damage and light smoke,” according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations.
The UK Maritime Authority said in a warning to mariners that both ships and all crew were safe.
Late Monday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks on the Bentley 1 and Chios Leon.
Early Tuesday morning, US Central Command confirmed the attacks and identified the names and flags of the ships.
“This continued reckless behavior by the Iran-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” a statement from U.S. Central Command said. “The Houthis claim to be acting on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza, yet they target and threaten the lives of third-country nationals who have no involvement in the conflict in Gaza.”
Earlier today, US Central Command said US forces destroyed five Houthi drones, three over the Red Sea and two in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier approaches Middle East to replace USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, Which spent months in the Red Sea confronting the Houthis.
The rebels have targeted more than 70 ships with missiles and drones in their campaign, killing four sailors. One ship was captured. And Two drowned Since November.
In June, the number of Houthi attacks on commercial shipping rose to levels not seen since December, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center, a coalition overseen by the U.S. Navy. U.S.-led airstrikes have targeted the Houthis since January, hitting commercial vessels and merchant ships. May 30th Strike Series The rebels said the clashes killed at least 16 people and wounded 42 others.
The Houthis insist their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States or Britain, as part of the rebels’ support for the militant group Hamas in its war against Israel. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the war — including some bound for Iran, which backs the Houthis.
Last week, the Houthis said they fired missiles at a U.S.-flagged container ship in the Gulf of Aden, in what authorities acknowledged was the rebels’ longest-range attack yet on a U.S.-flagged vessel near the Arabian Sea. The joint investigation identified the ship as the Maersk Sentosa. Maersk, a Danish company that is the world’s largest shipping company, confirmed to The Associated Press that its ship was targeted.
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