US military forces shot down more than a dozen attack drones and several missiles fired by Yemen-based Houthi rebels at shipping in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. Earlier, Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a missile strike on a vessel in the Red Sea and a drone attack toward Israel in solidarity with Gaza. The attacks are the latest in a flurry of drone and missile strikes launched by the rebels since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.
In a statement, the rebels said they “carried out a targeting operation against a commercial ship” they identified as MSC UNITED, and launched a number of “drones against military targets” in southern Israel. The Houthis say they are targeting Israel and Israeli-linked vessels to push for a stop to the offensive in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is battling Hamas militants.
Also earlier on Tuesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said “explosions (were) heard, missiles were sighted” near the port of Hodeida on Yemen’s west coast, adding that a transitting vessel and its crew were safe. The ship later continued its voyage, without reporting any major damage or crew injuries, UKMTO said.
Explosions were likewise heard off the coast of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Tuesday, Egyptian state-linked media said, with the Israeli army later saying it had intercepted aerial objects in the Red Sea. No casualties have been reported.
According to the Pentagon, the Houthis have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant vessels involving more than 35 different countries. The attacks are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade, prompting the United States to set up a multinational naval task force to protect Red Sea shipping.
