Houthis Launch Attack On 3 Ships & 2 U.S. Destroyers In The Indian Ocean And Red Sea

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced that they have attacked three commercial vessels in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea, as well as two US destroyers in the Red Sea.

The group describes these attacks as a show of support for Palestinians during the ongoing crisis between Israel and Gaza.

Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, reported the attacks in a televised speech, claiming that the group launched missiles to target commercial vessels and drones against the U.S. naval vessels.

Saree did not mention the precise time of these attacks.

According to Saree, the attacked vessels are the Largo Desert and MSC Mechela in the Indian Ocean and the Minerva Lisa in the Red Sea.

Maritime traffic trackers revealed that the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, Largo Desert, was active in the area, traveling from Durban, South Africa, to Beira, Mozambique.

Marine Traffic also tracked the crude oil tanker Minerva Lisa in the Red Sea earlier today.

The shipping companies or the United States military have not immediately confirmed the alleged strikes.

However, since November, the Houthis have increased their drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea region, ultimately expanding their operations to the Indian Ocean.

Houthis have vowed to target any ship bound for Israeli ports, even extending their reach to the Mediterranean Sea, as proven by a recent missile attack on the Israeli ship Essex.

These escalating attacks have forced the shipping companies to divert their shipments over longer and more expensive routes around Southern Africa, raising concerns about the potential expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict and further destabilisation in the Middle East.

In reaction to the Houthi attacks, the U.S. and U.K. launched retaliatory strikes against Houthi sites.

Despite these measures, the Houthis have continued their attacks and have expanded their targets to include U.S. and British commercial and naval ships.

Reference: Reuters

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Source: Maritime Shipping News