Attacks on the Red Sea have increased insurance premiums for shipping companies. (Representative)
Washington:
US forces in the Red Sea have “successfully conducted five self-defense strikes” to thwart land and sea attacks from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the Pentagon said on Sunday.
The attacks took place at 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM Sanaa time (12:00 and 17:00 GMT), the US military said, and are part of a series of actions taken by the United States and its allies against the Houthis, aimed at stopping Iranian-backed attacks. repeated rebel attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes.
The five strikes included targeting “the first observed Houthi UUV (unmanned underwater vehicle) deployment since the attacks began” in October, a U.S. Central Command statement said.
Another of the five involved an unmanned surface vessel, or USV, essentially a floating drone. The use of such ships has been relatively rare.
The other three involved anti-ship cruise missiles, the statement said.
“CENTCOM identified the anti-ship cruise missiles, unmanned underwater launch vehicle, and unmanned surface ship in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they posed an immediate threat to U.S. Navy and merchant vessels in the region,” the report said. the five noticed the need to 'make international waters safer'.
The Houthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen including the port of Hodeida, began their attacks in November, saying they hit Israeli-linked ships in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the war between Israel and Hamas.
US and British forces have responded with attacks on the Houthis, who have since also declared the two countries' interests legitimate targets.
The attacks on the Red Sea have increased insurance premiums for shipping companies, forcing many to avoid the Red Sea, a crucial route that normally carries about 12 percent of global maritime trade.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
