Houthis conduct attack on commercial vessel following international warning
Mike Brest
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The Houthis launched its 25th attack against a commercial vessel in the Red Sea early Thursday morning, a day after nearly a dozen governments, including the United States, warned them to stop.
A drone was launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen, flew into nearby international shipping lanes, and detonated, though it did not hit a ship and no casualties were reported, according to Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the top commander of U.S. naval forces in the Middle East.
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Thursday’s attack is the Houthis 25th such attack against a commercial vessel transiting the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden since November 18. The Houthis, which have said they are carrying out these attacks in response to Israel’s war in Gaza and the overwhelming death toll in the enclave, have shown no signs that they will stop their attacks despite Wednesday’s international warning.
“There are no signs that they’re irresponsible behavior is abating,” Cooper said.
The governments of the U.S., Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom signed onto the statement, which said their attacks are “illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing.”
“Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews,” the statement said. “The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.”
A senior administration official said on Wednesday, prior to the latest Houthi attacks, that they “would not anticipate another warning” from the United States.
The Pentagon stood up a multinational task force in mid-December to safeguard commercial vessels in the region as shipping companies have been faced with the decision of whether to reroute ships for safety purposes, even if it means longer voyages and delays.
National Security Council coordinator John Kirby warned on Wednesday that shipping companies who decide to avoid the Red Sea would be forced to add “weeks onto voyages” to go all the way around the Cape of Good Hope, which is the southern tip of the African continent.
Since the task force began its patrols in the region in mid-December, roughly 1,500 vessels have safely transmitted the area, and the U.S. and partners have shot down 19 drones and missiles — 11 drones, two cruise missiles, and six anti-ship ballistic missiles — since then as well.
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U.S. defense officials have repeatedly characterized the task force, dubbed “Operation Prosperity Guardian,” as a “defensive” operation.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a narrow waterway that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and is between Yemen, Djibouti, and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. Cooper described the shipping lanes in the region as “very dense,” like a “choke point,” where ships “often form very narrow lines and travel near each other.”