Houthis defy West’s final warning as drone boat explodes in Red Sea
A Houthi drone boat packed with explosives has detonated in the Red Sea, only hours after Western countries issued what they said would be their final warning to the Iran-backed rebels over attacks on shipping in the region.
No damage or casualties were reported, according to the US navy, despite the boat detonating in busy shipping lanes.
“It came within a couple of miles of ships operating in the area – merchant ships and US navy ships – and we all watched as it exploded,” Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads US naval forces in the Middle East, said.
The target of the explosion, which took place after the boat drove 50 miles (80km) into the Red Sea, was not clear, the official added.
The attack followed a warning by 12 countries including the US, UK and Japan, which issued a joint statement cautioning the Houthis of unspecified “consequences” unless they halted their attacks, in what one US official suggested was a final warning.
The 12 countries – Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK and the US – called the attacks on shipping “illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilising” and added that there was “no lawful justification for intentionally targeting civilian shipping and naval vessels”.
An armed response could mean armed action against Houthi bases, boats and weapons. Western warships could shoot down Houthi missiles and drones, but such measures are expensive and unlikely to protect against every attack.
Vice Admiral Cooper said there had now been 25 attacks by the Houthis against merchant vessels transiting the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October, adding: “There are no signs that their irresponsible behaviour is abating.”
The Houthis have been targeting what they say are ships linked to Israel or travelling there, but many of the ships targeted had no Israeli connection and were not bound for Israeli ports.
The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have been aimed at pressuring Israel into stopping its bombing of Gaza in retaliation for Hamas’s massacre of 1,200 people.
The Houthi attacks have convulsed the “just-in-time” supply chains between Europe and Asia that are reliant on shipping from container vessels to oil tankers being able to pass through the Suez Canal.
Some 12 per cent of all global trade passes through the Red Sea route, including about a third of all container shipping.
Major shipping companies have re-routed dozens of vessels around Africa since Houthi attacks began to increase in November, adding 10 days to average journeys from Asia to Europe.
A senior official in the US administration, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the 12-nation statement to the Houthis was very clear. “I would not anticipate another warning,” the official said.
The US and other countries launched Operation Prosperity Guardian last month to protect civilian vessels, which Vice Admiral Cooper said now included contributions from 22 countries.
So far, US warships and partners have shot down two cruise missiles, six anti-ship ballistic missiles and 11 drones, the official said.
Asked whether Operation Prosperity Guardian might target Houthi positions with strikes to prevent them from attacking ships, Vice Admiral Cooper said the 22-nation coalition was purely defensive in nature.
“Anything that happens outside of the defensive aspect of this operation is a completely different operation,” he added.
Additional reporting by agencies
