Key Takeaways
- The Houthis attacked three US and Israeli ships in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
- The attacks were in retaliation for Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip.
- The US has formed a multinational coalition to protect shipping in the area and strike Houthi targets on the ground.
Sanaa Yemen’s rebel Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, attacked three US and Israeli merchant ships, as well as two US destroyers, in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said.
“The naval and missile forces of the Yemeni armed forces conducted three joint operations. The first was against US ship Larego Desert in the Indian Ocean, the second against Israeli ship MSC MECHELA in the Indian Ocean, and the third against Minerva Lisa in the Red Sea for violating the ban on entering the ports of occupied Palestine,” Saree told the Almasirah broadcaster.
He added that the movement used drones to “successfully attack” US destroyers in the Red Sea.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. The attacks prompted the United States to form a multinational coalition, which includes the United Kingdom among others, to protect shipping in the area of the Red Sea as well as to strike Houthi targets on the ground.
