Hodeida, Yemen – US Navy helicopters fired on Iran-backed Huthi rebels attempting to board a cargo ship off Yemen Sunday, the military said, with the rebels reporting 10 fighters dead or missing.
The clash in the Red Sea marked a deadly escalation since the United States set up a multinational naval task force in early December to protect the vital shipping lane against attacks by the Huthis, who control the Yemeni capital Sanaa and much of the country’s Red Sea coast.
The rebels — who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza — have repeatedly fired drones and missiles at passing ships in the seaway through which 12 percent of global trade passes.
US Central Command said the navy had responded to a distress call from the Maersk Hangzhou, a Danish-owned container ship that reported coming under attack for a second time in 24 hours while transiting the Red Sea.
The vessel had earlier been targeted with two anti-ship ballistic missiles. One was shot down by the US military and the other hit the Maersk Hangzhou.
The Huthis had then fired on US helicopters, which “returned fire in self-defence”, sinking three of four small boats that had come within 20 metres (yards) of the ship, according to the CENTCOM statement.
It said the crews of the three vessels were killed while the fourth boat fled the area.
Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree confirmed in a statement on X that 10 members of the group’s naval forces were “killed or missing” in the US strike.
Saree said the Maersk was attacked as part of the rebels’ campaign to stop Israeli or Israel-bound vessels from transiting the Red Sea.
“Yemen’s naval forces once again remind all countries of our advice not to be drawn into American plans aimed at sparking a conflict in the Red Sea”, saying the Huthis are determined to confront “any aggression against our country and our people”.
– Maersk suspends Red Sea transit –
Maersk suspended the passage of its vessels through the Red Sea for 48 hours after the latest of about two dozen attacks by Huthis on international shipping in the past six weeks.
The cargo ship, en route from Singapore to Egypt’s Port Suez, had issued an earlier distress call after it was struck by the Huthi missile.
CENTCOM said that assault was the 23rd illegal attack by the Huthis on international shipping since November 19.
The vessel appeared to be undamaged and “was able to continue its transit north”, Maersk said.
The cargo ship was then fired on by four Huthi rebel vessels that attempted to board the vessel, according to the company, one of the world’s largest shipping firms.
“In light of the incident — and to allow time to investigate the details of the incident and assess the security situation further — it has been decided to delay all transits through the area for the next 48 hours,” it added.
Regional tensions have spiked since Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing around 1,140 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
In response, Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas from Gaza and launched a devastating offensive that has killed 21,672 people, most of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
US forces in Iraq and Syria have repeatedly come under fire from drone and rocket attacks that Washington says are being carried out by Iran-backed groups.
And Israel has traded near-daily cross-border fire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.