(CTN News) – Houthi rebels in Yemen were reported to have launched several missiles at a United States warship in the Red Sea on Wednesday. They also said they intended to continue attacking boats from the United States and the United Kingdom.
This announcement came a few hours after the United States Central Command reported that the US Navy ship Gravely had successfully intercepted an anti-ship cruise missile that the Houthis, whom Iran supports, had fired from Yemen.
The Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a statement stating that the assault did not result in any injuries or damage. Since the middle of November, the Houthis have launched a total of more than thirty missile and drone assaults in the Red Sea.
These attacks have caused significant interruptions to commercial transportation in the most important waterway. The reaction has caused several shipping firms to make adjustments to their operations.
As a result, they have begun sending ships around Africa, a path far more difficult and costly than the one between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
Both the United States and the United Kingdom have carried out operations in Yemen that have targeted military and missile locations belonging to the Houthis. Additionally, they have been seeking to destroy the drones and missiles that the Houthis are launching.
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the press secretary for the Pentagon, said on Tuesday that the United States has taken action “to protect international shipping and mariners that are transiting the Red Sea, as well as to degrade and disrupt the capability of the Houthis to carry out attacks of this nature.”
To ensure the safety of the Red Sea, the European Union is contemplating sending its fleet on a mission.
Josep Borrell, the head of the European Union’s foreign policy, told reporters on Wednesday that he is hopeful that the effort will be launched within the next few weeks and that its primary objective will be to prevent assaults by the Houthis rather than to take any direct action against the Houthis.
According to Borrell, many European companies have requested action because of the enormous expenses of rerouting ships across Africa.
