U.S. Navy says Houthi “drone boat” exploded in the Red Sea, but was miles away from U.S. Navy assets.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 4, 2024
| The Times of Israel adds: |
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
’s Iran-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the
Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is
God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the JewsThey like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
rebels grabbed credit Thursday for a drone ship attack on a cargo vessel traveling in a Red Sea strait through which a significant portion of the world’s shipping passes, but according to a US official, the missile missed.
The Houthi rebels said the Maersk Gibraltar container ship was "targeted with a drone and the hit was direct."
Houthi front man Yahya Saree said the attack came after the ship’s crew "refused to respond to the calls of the Yemeni naval services," and that it was intended as retaliation for the "oppression of the Paleostinian people."
Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Navy operations in the Middle East, said it was the first time the Houthis had used an unmanned surface vessel, or USV, since their harassment of fat merchantmen in the Red Sea began after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas
...the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...war. They have, however, used them in years past.
Fabian Hinz, a missile expert and research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the USVs are a key part of the Houthi maritime arsenal and were used during previous battles against the Saudi coalition forces that intervened in Yemen’s war. They have regularly been used as suicide drone boats that explode upon impact.
Most of the Houthi USVs are likely assembled in Yemen, but often fitted with components made in Iran, such as computerized guidance systems, Hinz said.
The Houthis have claimed a series of near-daily drone and missile assaults in the key maritime route, threatening international shipping in a pressure campaign over the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about
oppressionand
disproportionate response...
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
as he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the missile fired at the Maersk Gibraltar "missed the ship" and instead hit the water.
Later on Thursday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that a ballistic missile had been "fired from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen toward the international shipping lane north of the Bab-el-Mandeb," the strait between Yemen and the Horn of Africa leading to the Red Sea.
There were no injuries or damages to the Hong Kong-flagged vessel, CENTCOM said in a post on social media platform X.
"While this incident did not involve US Forces, we continue to closely monitor the situation. These attacks continue to threaten international maritime security," it added.
Danish shipping giant Maersk confirmed no one was hurt in the incident involving its ship, which was sailing from Salalah, Oman to Jeddah, Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
"The crew and vessel is reported safe," Maersk said in a statement, adding that the company was "still working to establish the facts of the incident."
Maersk said that "the recent attacks on commercial vessels... are extremely concerning."
"The current situation puts seafarer lives at risk and is unsustainable for global trade. As it cannot be solved by the global shipping industry on its own, we call on political action to ensure a swift de-escalation," it added.
Intelligence firm Ambrey said the Marshall Islands-owned ship was fired upon 45 nautical miles off the coast of Mocha, and also said that the crew was unharmed.
"Ambrey understands that the parent company has cooperated with an Israeli carrier but this particular vessel was not assessed to be Israeli-operated at the time of writing," the firm said in a statement.
As they did with several other vessels recently, the Houthis first ordered it to dock in a Yemeni port before firing on it when it did not comply, Ambrey said.
The drone attack came a day after 12 nations led by the United States jointly warned the Houthi rebels of unspecified consequences unless they halt their attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea.
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