Houthis Deploy Underwater Drones For First Time In Red Sea, Posing Major Threat

The US Defense Department mentioned that the American forces based in the Red Sea, for the first time, observed as well as struck a Houthi-deployed underwater drone on Saturday. The CENTCOM, the central command for the US Department of Defense, has stated that the US launched some “self-defence” strikes on Saturday against three anti-ship cruise mobile missiles, one uncrewed underwater vessel (abbreviated UUV), and an unmanned surface vessel (abbreviated the USV) in the Houthi-ruled zones of Yemen as well as that of the Red Sea.

CENTCOM mentioned that the drones highlighted an “imminent threat” to the US Navy vessels in the zone and that it was the first time that the US forces had spotted an underwater unmanned drone that the Houthis deployed.

The Houthis, a political as well as military group with a history of controlling significant portions of Yemen, including Sanaa, the capital, started attacking vessels in the waters of the Red Sea in October in solidarity with the Palestinians.

The group mentioned repeatedly that the attacks are going to continue until Israel decides on a cease-fire in Gaza. The Houthis, who were supported in part by Iran, happen to be well-armed and are also highly organized. The group has beaten the efforts by the US-backed Saudi Arabia over the past decade to impose its will on Yemen.

The Houthis first started attacking vessels in the waters of the Red Sea using its anti-ship missiles fired from the land. But as the Israeli scorched-earth mission in Gaza dragged on and the US deployed its Navy to the waters of the Red Sea, the group also focused on expanding its arsenal. They started to launch unmanned surface sea drones on 4 January, per The Associated Press, which has the reporters on USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the waters of the Red Sea.

The Houthis now appear to boast underwater drones, as well. Rear Admiral Marc Miguez informed the AP that the sea drones operating on the surface pose a massive threat to the US Navy. To have an unmanned, bomb-laden surface vessel, which can go at fast speeds and, if one is not on the scene immediately, it can be ugly swift, he stated. As for underwater drones, that is an unknown threat where there is not much intel, and that could be highly lethal, he said.

Reference: Business Insider

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