US shoots down two Houthi drones hours after three killed & ship abandoned in first fatal strike by Iran-backed rebels
US has shot down two Houthi drones after three people were killed in the first fatal attack by the Iran-backed rebels.
US Central Command has announced the US Aircraft has blasted the "Suicide" drones in Western Yemen.
Yesterday, the Houthi rebels launched an attack on Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged freighter True Confidence in the Gulf of Aden.
Three seafarers are understood have died and at least four were injured.
Survivors were forced to abandon the vessel in lifeboats, a US official said.
It is the first fatal attack since the Iran-backed group began strikes against shipping in one of the world's busiest trade lanes.
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In retaliation, the US military has conducted self-defence strikes against two Houthi missiles that presented an "imminent threat".
In a post on X today, the US Central Command wrote: "These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels."
The Houthis have been relentlessly attacking ships in the Red Sea since November over the ongoing war in Gaza.
In response, Britain and the United States have been launching strikes against the rebels.
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Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree claimed the latest deadly attack in a pre-recorded message and said the rebels' missile fire would only stop when "siege on the Palestinian people in Gaza is lifted".
In a statement shared to X in response to the Houthi claim, Britain’s embassy wrote: "At least two innocent sailors have died. This was the sad but inevitable consequence of the Houthis recklessly firing missiles at international shipping. They must stop.
"Our deepest condolences are with the families of those that have died and those that were wounded."
The Greek operators of the True Confidence reported that the ship was on fire and no information was available about the 20 crew members and three guards on board.
A US military official told that smoke was seen coming from the vessel and a lifeboat had been seen floating nearby.
United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it had received a report of the attack 54 nautical miles southwest of Aden, Yemen.
"A merchant vessel in position 115542N 0443024E has been hit and has suffered damage. The vessel has been abandoned by the crew and is no longer under command (NUC), " UKMTC stated.
It added that Coalition Forces were "supporting the vessel and the crew".
A US warship and the Indian navy were on scene trying to assist in rescue efforts, reports.
On Thursday, two of the victims were identified as Filipino seafarers, Philippine's ministry for migrant workers said in a statement.
The attack left two other Filipino citizens severely injured, and the ministry called for "continued diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and to address the causes of the current conflict in the Middle East".
The militant group claimed it would target ships linked to the United Kingdom, the US and Israel only.
But the Liberian-registered company True Confidence operated on a Greek-owned vessel and said in a statement that they have no connection to the United States.
Several shipping companies have been forced to reroute their vessels passing through the Suez Canal and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to take a longer alternative route around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.
Such changes have resulted in major delays and impacted companies including Suzuki, Tesla, BP, Shell, Qatar Energy, DHL, FedEx, Adidas, Marks & Spencer, Next, Primark, Sainsbury's, and Target.
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And the price of global shipping containers has jumped by more than 300 per cent between November and January.
Who are the Houthis?
THE Houthi rebels are terrorising the Red Sea by launching persistent missile and drone attacks on vessels and warships - but who are they?
The Shia militant group, which now controls most of Yemen, spent over a decade being largely ignored by the world.
However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war they sprung from relative obscurity to hostage - turning one of the world's busiest
Their warped slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam”.
Why are they attacking ships?
The rebel group has been launching relentless drone and missile attacks on any ships - including warships - they deem to be connected with Israel in solidarity with their ally, Hamas.
However, in reality there have been frequent attacks on commercial vessels with little or no link to Israel - forcing global sea traffic to halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices soaring.
The sea assaults have threatened to ignite a full-blown war in the Middle East as intense ripples from Israel's war in Gaza are felt across the region - with Iran suspected of stoking the chaos.
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea increased 50 per cent between November and December as the rebel group's chiefs pledged their assaults would continue until Israel stopped its offensive in Gaza.
And despite repeated threats from the West and joint US and UK strikes blitzing their strongholds in Yemen - Iran's terror proxy appears undeterred.