US Navy helicopters destroyed three Houthi rebel’s boats and killed the men aboard on Sunday morning when they attempted to kidnap a commercial ship in the Red Sea, , said the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), which is in charge of operations in the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of South Asia.
According to accounts by American, Maersk, and Houthi officials, the naval battle occurred around 0330 GMT on Sunday as the attackers sought to board the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou.
In the first Houthi rebels deaths by US troops since their operations in the busy waterway began, helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely joined the ship’s security team in repelling the attackers after receiving a distress call.
A 20mm Phalanx CIWS weapons defense cannon is mounted on the US Navy destroyer USS Gravely. The US military said on Dec. 31, 2023 the destroyer shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired toward a container ship by Yemen's Houthi rebels. (AP/File)
The helicopters sank three boats, killing their crews, and one escaped following an attempt to shoot down the helicopters.
“The US Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews. The fourth boat fled the area. There was no damage to US personnel or equipment,” the US military said in a statement on social media platform X.
Yemen analysts say that the US Navy ship used force against the Houthis after they violated a red line by firing on US Navy helicopters.
Elisabeth Kendall, Middle East expert and head of Girton College at the University of Cambridge, said that the US Navy is now better prepared to repel and destroy Houthi attacks that imperil commercial and navy vessels, in contrast to November, when the Houthis commandeered the Galaxy Leader.
“The Houthis have for weeks been testing the limits of US tolerance and today they found out that the US does have red lines and will react forcefully when they are crossed,” she said.
She added: “The Houthis’ first ship hijacking of the Galaxy Leader in November took the world by surprise. This time, the US was prepared.
“The Houthis overstepped the line by firing on both the ship and the US Navy helicopters, a move which apparently justified the US lethal retaliation as self-defense.”
Experts believe that it is difficult to foresee Houthi retaliation for the deaths of their personnel in the Red Sea, or if the Houthi Red Sea strikes would spark an all-out conflict between the US-led maritime task forces that protect the Red Sea.
The botched Houthi boarding operation was the second attack on the Maersk Hangzhou in as many days. The ship, which is carrying 14,000 containers en route from Singapore, was on Saturday hit by a missile about 55 nautical miles southwest of Al Hodeidah, Yemen.
The shipping company said that the crew of the Maersk Hangzhou crew was safe and there was no indication of fire onboard the vessel, which continued its journey north toward the Suez Canal.