In its latest update on Wednesday the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that its forces successfully destroyed two Iranian-backed Houthi rebels uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) and uncrewed surface vessel (USV) in the Red Sea.
Earlier the Houthi rebels attacked a ship in the Red Sea on Wednesday, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which reported that the ship master reported an explosion near his vessel 40 nautical miles south of Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Mocha.
“The vessel is proceeding to its next port of call. Authorities continue to monitor the situation. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” the UK agency said in a statement.
The attack came a day after the Houthis targeted a commercial ship destined for Oman in the Indian Ocean, breaking a more than week-long pause in ship attacks by the militia.
According to marinetraffic.com, the Maersk Sentosa is a container ship flying the US flag that docked at the Omani Salalah port on Tuesday, the Marthopolis is a Malta-flagged container ship sailing from Oman’s Salalah to India, and the MSC Patnaree is a Liberian-flagged container ship sailing from Somalia to Sri Lanka.
Since November, the Houthis have seized a commercial ship, sunk two others, and launched hundreds of ballistic missiles, drones and drone boats against vessels in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait, Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.
Houthi strikes have increased shipping and insurance expenses, and forced major shipping companies to reroute their ships to longer and more expensive routes across Africa.