Houthis in Yemen announce they have hit a US warship
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have announced that they hit a US warship in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and forced two commercial vessels to turn back.
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Houthi Military Spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed in a statement that they engaged in clashes with US warships in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, both in support of Gaza and in response to US and UK attacks on Yemen.
Stating that the clashes with US warships protecting commercial vessels in the region lasted for more than 2 hours, Saree said, "We hit one of the US warships and forced 2 commercial vessels to turn back."
Pointing out that they carried out the attacks with ballistic missiles, Saree claimed that some of the missiles reached their targets despite the US warships' attempts to intercept them.
Saree stated that they would continue their attacks in the Red Sea.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) had previously announced that the Houthis fired 3 anti-ship ballistic missiles toward a US-flagged commercial cargo ship sailing in the Gulf of Aden around 14:00 local time.
CENTCOM had stated that two of the missiles were neutralized by the military ship USS Gravely, while the third fell into the sea.
THE LATEST SITUATION IN THE RED SEA
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen began seizing commercial ships they claimed were linked to Israeli companies off the coast of Yemen on October 31, 2023, and launching attacks on some with drones and missiles, citing Israel's attacks on Gaza as the reason.
US forces have announced many times during this process that they have shot down missiles and kamikaze drones launched from Yemen.
Following the actions of the Houthis, numerous shipping companies decided to suspend their voyages in the Red Sea.
The US announced on December 18, 2023, that a multinational "maritime task force" called "Operation Prosperity Guardian" had been formed with the participation of a group of countries against Houthi forces, citing the threat to global maritime trade security.
On December 31, 2023, 3 Houthi speedboats attempting to seize a ship linked to Israel in the Red Sea were fired upon by US helicopters.
On January 10, the Houthis announced that a US ship in the Red Sea was targeted with missiles and kamikaze drones on the grounds that it was supporting Israel.
The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on January 11, submitted by the US and Japan, demanding an immediate end to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
Approximately 12 percent of global trade is conducted via the Suez Canal, which offers the shortest route between Europe and Asia by connecting the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.