Yemen's rebel Ansar Allah movement, commonly known as the Houthis, has asserted that they carried out an attack on a US ship providing support to Israel, deploying drones, ballistic missiles, and anti-ship missiles. The announcement was made by the military spokesman for the Ansar Allah movement, Yahya Saria.
"The Yemeni Armed Forces' navy, missile forces, and unmanned aviation carried out a joint operation using a large number of drones, ballistic, and anti-ship missiles, striking a US ship that was providing support to the Zionist entity (the State of Israel - TASS)," stated Saria in an announcement broadcasted on the Houthi-controlled Al Masirah TV channel.
Saria emphasized that this operation serves as "a preliminary response to the treacherous attack" by US forces on December 31. During that incident, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that the Houthis, aboard four small boats, approached the Singapore-flagged container ship Hangzhou, opened fire, and attempted to board it. US Navy helicopters from two nearby aircraft carriers intervened, sinking three of the Houthis' boats, and killing 10 members of the movement.
CENTCOM reported on January 9 that the Houthis attempted a sophisticated attack using drones, anti-ship cruise missiles, and anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemeni territory under their control, directed "toward international sea lanes in the southern Red Sea." Coalition forces, including US Navy ships such as the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, F-18 fighter jets, and a British Navy ship, repelled the attack. The coalition shot down 18 drones, 2 anti-ship cruise missiles, and 1 anti-ship ballistic missile.
The Houthis had previously declared their intention to strike Israeli territory and impede the passage of ships associated with Israel through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the conclusion of the operation in the Gaza Strip. CENTCOM estimates that the Houthis have attacked over 20 ships and civilian vessels in the Red Sea since mid-November. In response, US authorities initiated Operation Prosperity Guardian to safeguard freedom of navigation and ensure ship security.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Thomas Ashlock/Unsplash
Based on materials from TASS