The United States has deployed warships to the Red Sea, including the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower (archive).
Photo: KEYSTONE/AP/Bernat Armangue
US forces announced on Friday that they had destroyed seven drones belonging to the Houthis in the last 24 hours. The rebels, who control part of Yemen, have claimed responsibility for new attacks targeting maritime traffic in the Red Sea.
According to the US military command for the Middle East (CENTCOM), the drones were destroyed ‘in areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis’.
The Houthi military spokesperson, for his part, claimed responsibility, in the name of the rebels, for attacks on two ships in the Red Sea, including the chemical tanker Delonix, which flies the flag of Liberia.
According to the UK Maritime Safety Agency (UKMTO), five missiles were fired on Friday at the ship, which was located about 150 nautical miles (277 km) northwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeida, controlled by the Houthis. The Yemeni rebels had claimed responsibility for an attack on another commercial vessel in the Red Sea on Thursday.
In support of the Palestinians
Controlling part of Yemen, the Houthis have been carrying out attacks on ships in the Red Sea, a crucial area for global trade, for several months, saying they are acting in support of the Palestinians in Gaza, besieged and bombarded by Israel.
The attacks have sent insurance costs for ships transiting the Red Sea soaring and prompted many shipping companies to sail via the much longer southern tip of Africa.
The United States and the United Kingdom, alongside an international coalition, regularly carry out retaliatory strikes in Yemen, with the aim of reducing the capabilities of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
/ATS
