Massive attack by the Houthis against US, UK and French ships. Dozens of drones shot down
US Navy ships and planes shot down 15 drones launched by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis in the Red Sea area.
The US Army Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday that the US-led naval coalition was responding to a large-scale attack by "Iran-backed Houthi terrorists" launched in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. between 4 and 6:30 am (01:00-03:30 GMT).
The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) posed “an imminent threat to merchant shipping, US Navy and coalition ships in the region,” the Army said on X.
US and Coalition Defeat Houthi Attack in Red Sea Area
Between 4 am and 6:30 am (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists conducted a large-scale uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) attack into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. CENTCOM and coalition forces identified the one-way… pic.twitter.com/PJag5PYUfZ
— US Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 9, 2024
“These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.”
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Saturday that the group carried out two military operations, the first of which targeted the US bulk carrier Propel Fortune in the Gulf of Aden.
In the second operation, Saree said several U.S. military destroyers in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden were targeted “by 37 drones.”
A French warship and fighter jets also shot down four combat drones that were advancing towards ships from the European Aspides mission in the region.
“This defensive action directly contributed to the protection of the Barbados-flagged cargo vessel True Confidence, which was struck on March 6 and was towed, as well as other commercial vessels transiting the area,” a statement from the French army.
France has a warship in the area, but also warplanes at its bases in Djibouti and the United Arab Emirates.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has confirmed an attempted attack on the Singapore-flagged Propel Fortune vessel.
He said the shipping company reported two explosions in the immediate vicinity of the bulk carrier, but all crew on board were safe and the ship was proceeding to its next port of call.
“Reportedly, Propel Fortune was likely targeted due to outdated US ownership data,” the UKMTO said in a statement.
At least three seafarers were killed in a Houthi missile attack on a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden this week, the US military said, marking the first deaths reported since the Yemeni group began attacking shipping in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world due to Israel's war on Gaza.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack, which set fire to the Liberian-owned and Barbados-flagged vessel True Confidence, about 50 nautical miles (93 km) off the coast of the Yemeni port of Aden.
A US-led naval coalition has been operating in the waters since December 2023 to counter Houthi attacks. US forces have also carried out attacks on what they say are Houthi weapons sites in Yemen, including targeting truck-mounted anti-ship missiles on Thursday.
The situation is at this point: the allied ships attack the Houthis, with very partial success, the Houthis attack the allied ships, without landing a hit, but, at the same time, they attack commercial traffic, causing deaths and injuries. A situation that risks causing serious damage to international trade, for everyone, if it is not corrected.
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The article Massive attack by the Houthis against US, UK and French ships. Dozens of drones shot down comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/massiccio-attacco-degli-houthi-contro-le-navi-di-usa-uk-e-francia-decine-di-droni-abbattuti/ on Sun, 10 Mar 2024 07:00:21 +0000.