• Militia overstepped the line by firing on a commercial ship and American helicopters, analyst says
• First Houthi deaths by US troops reported since their Red Sea operations began in November

Saeed Al-Batati

AL-MUKALLA, Yemen: US Navy helicopters destroyed three Houthi boats and killed the men aboard when they attempted to kidnap a commercial ship in the Red Sea, the first Houthi deaths by US troops since their operations in the busy waterway began in November. 

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.

Helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely joined the ship’s security team in repelling the attackers after receiving a distress call on Sunday morning, 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.

The helicopters sank three boats, killing their crews, and one escaped after they attempted to shoot down the helicopters after failing to hijack the ship.

“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.

Earlier, CENTCOM reported that the USS Gravely — in response to a request for assistance from the container ship Maersk Hangzhou — shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis from areas under their control in Yemen at commercial ships in the Red Sea, bringing the total of Houthi Red Sea attacks since Nov. 19 to 23.

USS GRAVELY shoots down two anti-ship ballistic missiles while responding to Houthi attack on merchant vessel.

Today at approximately 8:30 p.m. (Sanaa time), the container ship MAERSK HANGZHOU reported that they were struck by a missile while transiting the Southern Red Sea. The… pic.twitter.com/nUgifhkdC8

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 31, 2023

The Red Sea is the entry point for ships using the Suez Canal, which handles about 12 percent of global trade and vital for the movement of goods between Asia and Europe.

A spokesman for the Houthis said the group carried out the attack because the ship’s crew refused to heed warning calls. He confirmed that 10 Houthi naval personnel were “dead and missing” after their boats were attacked by US forces in the Red Sea.

The Houthis have launched ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones at commercial and naval ships in the Red Sea, threatening to block major trade routes for Israeli-linked or Israel-bound ships.

The Houthis claim that their activities are to help the Palestinians and intended to push Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza.

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 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 justified the US lethal retaliation as self-defense.”

At the same time, the Houthis have reiterated their threats to strike US Navy ships if they attacked Yemen or stopped them from implementing their ban on Israel-bound ships, and they also organized protests in Yemeni cities under their control to condemn the US and Israel.

“This is a message to all enemies and their pawns that the Yemeni armed forces are ready for any confrontation with the actual enemy, America and Israel,” Houthi leader Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti told Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen TV news channel.

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.

Kendall says that the Houthis are less eager to start a fight in the Red Sea because it would impede the UN-brokered peace talks that are supposed to give them legitimacy.

“Houthis are on the cusp of finding political legitimacy as part of a UN-mediated roadmap to resolve the Yemen war,” Kendall said.

“Entering a new international war would destroy their chances of becoming a recognized part of Yemen’s governance structure.”

Despite their commitment to support the UN Yemen envoy’s roadmap to end the war in Yemen, the Houthis have launched attacks on government troops in the besieged city of Taiz and launched an explosive-laden drone at a market in the southern province of Lahj, killing two civilians. 

Reluctant allies

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.

The United States launched Operation Prosperity Guardian on Dec. 19, saying more than 20 countries had agreed to participate in the efforts to safeguard ships in Red Sea waters near Yemen.

However, attacks have continued and US allies have proven reluctant to commit to the coalition, with nearly half not declaring their presence publicly.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby declined to say what options the US is considering when asked on ABC’s “Good Morning America” if Washington would consider a preemptive strike on the Houthis.

“We have made it clear publicly to the Houthis, we’ve made it clear privately to our allies and partners in the region, that we take these threats seriously.”

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Sunday that he had told Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a call that Iran should help stop the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

“I made clear that Iran shares responsibility for preventing these attacks, given their long-standing support to the Houthis,” Cameron said in a post on social media site X, adding that the attacks “threaten innocent lives and the global economy.”

I spoke to @Amirabdolahian today about Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, which threaten innocent lives and the global economy. I made clear that Iran shares responsibility for preventing these attacks given their long-standing support to the Houthis.

— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) December 31, 2023

The BIMCO shipping association condemned the attacks and thanked those states involved in repelling them.

“We are thankful to US, French, and UK efforts so far and hope even more states will support the coalition with naval assets or other impactful means including diplomatic pressure on the Houthis and their sponsors,” Jakob Larsen, BIMCO’s head of maritime safety and security, told Reuters.

(With Agencies)