DUBAI.- A US destroyer shot down drones and a missile fired at it by Yemen rebels in the Red Sea, officials said early Wednesday, as the Indian Navy released images of efforts to extinguish a fire in a container ship that had been attacked by the Houthis.
Tuesday’s rebel assault reportedly targeted the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that has participated in the US campaign against the Houthis, who carry out attacks in protest of Israel’s war against Hamas in the Strip. from Gaza. Another alleged Houthi attack on a ship was reported on Wednesday.
Separately, Iran announced Wednesday that it will confiscate Kuwaiti oil — valued at $50 million and belonging to the American Chevron Corp. — aboard an oil tanker seized earlier this year. This is the latest twist in the shadow war that has been waged for years in the region’s sea lanes, even before the Houthi attacks began.
The Houthi attack included drones loaded with explosives and an anti-ship ballistic missile, the US military’s Central Command said.
The US defends itself
The US later launched an airstrike that destroyed three anti-ship missiles and three ships carrying explosive drones, he added.
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, acknowledged the attack but claimed that his forces were targeting two American warships, without offering further details.
The rebels “will not stop until the aggression is ended and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted,” Saree said.
The spokesman did not acknowledge the subsequent US airstrikes. The Houthis have not assessed the damage they have suffered in attacks led by Washington troops since they began in January, although they reported that at least 22 of their fighters have been killed.
Since November, rebels have repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea and nearby waters due to the war between Israel and Hamas. Among them, at least one was carrying merchandise to Iran, the Houthis’ main benefactor, and later another with aid heading to territory they control in Yemen.
Despite the campaign against them, the Houthi rebels are still capable of launching significant attacks, such as one last month that hit a fertilizer ship, the Rubymar, which sank on Saturday after spending several days adrift, or the shooting down an American drone worth tens of millions of dollars.
Since the start of their attacks, the Houthis have been making radio contact with ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO), an agency under the British military, reported on Wednesday a new round of similar radio messages sent to a ship and urged crews to report any suspicious activity. .
Shortly afterwards, the UKMTO reported an alleged attack in the area. According to private security firm Ambrey, an explosion occurred near a ship apparently contacted by radio, but few details were available at the moment.
Separately, the Indian Navy distributed footage of INS Calcutta sailors battling a fire aboard the MSC Sky II, which was attacked by the Houthis in the Gulf of Aden on Monday. Smoke was coming out of one of the containers, which also had burn marks from the impact of the projectile.
Mediterranean Shipping Co., a company based in Switzerland, said the projectile hit the ship as it was en route from Singapore to Djibouti.
“The missile caused a small fire that has been extinguished and no one on the crew was injured,” the company added.
Source: With information from AP
