BEIRUT: The US military said on Sunday it shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired at a container ship by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
Hours later, four boats tried to attack the same ship, but US forces opened fire, killing several of the armed crew, US Central Command said.
No one was injured on board.
The Singapore-flagged MAERSK HANZGHOU reported it had been hit by a missile Saturday night while transiting the Southern Red Sea and requested assistance, CENTCOM said in a statement.
USS GRAVELY and USS LABOON responded to the distress call, and the Danish vessel was reported seaworthy and no injuries were reported, the statement added.
“This is the 23rd illegal attack by the Houthis on international shipping since Nov. 19,” CENTCOM said.
In another statement, CENTCOM said the same ship issued an additional distress call about a second attack “by four small Iranian-backed Houthi boats.”
The attackers fired small arms fire at the MAERSK HANZGHOU, got within 20 meters (about 65 feet) of the ship, and attempted to do so, CENTCOM said.
The security forces that started the contract on the ship returned fire, the central command said. US helicopters from the aircraft carriers USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and GRAVELY responded to the distress call and while issuing a verbal warning to the attackers, the crew of the small boat opened fire on the helicopter with small arms, the statement said.
“US Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense,” sinking three of the four boats, killing the crew while the fourth fled the area, CENTCOM said, and no damage to US personnel or equipment was reported.
The Iran-backed Houthis have claimed attacks on ships in the Red Sea that they say are either linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports.
They said their attack was aimed at ending Israeli air and ground attacks targeting the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas on Oct. 7.
On Saturday, the top US naval commander in the Middle East said the Houthi rebels showed no signs of ending their “reckless” attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea even as more countries joined international maritime missions to protect the vessels. important waterways and trade traffic began to increase.
Since the Pentagon announced Operation Prosperity Guardian to counter attacks more than 10 days ago, 1,200 merchant ships have passed through the Red Sea region, and none have been hit by drone or missile attacks, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said in an Associated Press interview.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
