(UnitedHeadlines.com) – On Jan. 17, an American ship was once again the target of a bomb from a suicide drone in an attack from Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea.
The M/V Genco Picardy is the second American ship struck in just one week. On Jan. 15, an anti-ship ballistic missile hit the U.S.-owned and operated container ship, the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, off the coast of Yemen. According to a statement from the U.S. Central Command, while damage was reported, the ship was deemed seaworthy and continued on its route. No injuries were reported in the attack.
Three missiles were reportedly launched by the Houthis, with only one striking the ship, according to the British Maritime Security firm Ambrey.
Following the attack, the U.S. military said its forces conducted strikes on 14 Houthi missiles that they said “presented an imminent threat” to ships in the region. U.S. officials also announced the Houthi rebels were added to a list of terrorist groups, calling them a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist.”
In response to the U.S. strikes, a spokesman for the Houthi rebels said the group would continue its attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The attacks on U.S.-owned ships follow reports that the U.S. CENTCOM Navy forces seized anti-ship cruise missiles and propulsion, guidance and warheads for medium-range ballistic missiles following a night-time raid Jan. 11. According to the CENTCOM statement, the weapons appear to be the same ones the Houthis use to “threaten and attack” ships in the Red Sea. Two Navy SEALs directly involved in the seizure were lost at sea following the mission.
Since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in Israel, Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have been attacking ships in the Red Sea in an attempt to stop the Israeli air-and-ground offensive that targets Hamas in Gaza. The increased activity from terrorists in states not directly affected by the Israel-Hamas war underscores the importance of Israel in Middle East and global political conflicts.
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