ACCORDING to the US military, its forces aboard a USS Eisenhower aircraft opened fire on Houthi rebels as an act of self-defense and in response to a distress call by a merchant vessel in the Red Sea on Sunday.
The attack sank three of the four boats operated by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and killed ten of its members.
A day after the latest encounter, Iran’s local media reported that the Islamic Republic’s Alborz warship had entered the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait – one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Meanwhile, Yemeni Army spokesman Yahya Saree said the Houthi naval forces were carrying out their routine duties when the US Forces launched the attack.
The USS Eisenhower aircraft was deployed in the Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian – a mission that aims to counter the rising attacks led by the Houthis in the strategic waterway in the wake of the US support toward Israel in its fight with Hamas.
On December 18, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the creation of Operation Prosperity Guardian – a multinational coalition designed to counter Houthi-led attacks in the Red Sea.
The coalition was formed following weeks of attacks against commercial vessels heading or linked to Israel.
