On Sunday, U.S. helicopters attacked Houthi militants approaching a Maersk container vessel in the Red Sea. U.S., Maersk, and Houthi officials have reported that the U.S. helicopters sunk three Houthi boats and killed at least ten fighters.
- Early Sunday morning, the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou issued a distress call as Houthi attackers attempted to board the vessel. U.S. Central Command stated that the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely dispatched attack helicopters to aid the vessel’s security team in fending off the attack. A Houthi official stated the fighters attacked the vessel because it did not respond to warning calls. Maersk paused all shipping through the Red Sea through Tuesday morning.
- The Houthis also launched a missile at the Maersk Hangzhou on Saturday, which is carrying 14,000 containers. The crew is reportedly safe, and there are no indications of serious fires on the vessel. Various shipping organizations thanked the U.S., UK, and France for their presence in the region, and British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps reaffirmed the UK’s willingness to escalate operations against the Houthis if attacks continue.
- Yemen’s Houthis have routinely targeted vessels in the Red Sea that they deem connected to Israel’s war effort in Gaza. In response, major shipping companies have shifted their routes around the Cape of Good Hope instead of through the Suez Canal and Bab al-Mandab Strait.
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