What to Know:
The Houthis have released a statement confirming that 10 of its fighters were killed in an engagement with responding American military helicopters during an attack against a Maersk commercial shipping vessel. They added that its forces are “prepared for all options in order to confront the American escalation in support of the criminal Zionist entity.”
Houthi Statement:
In a recorded statement, Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea said that:
“While the naval forces of the Yemeni armed forces were exercising their regular official duties in establishing security and stability and protecting maritime navigation, in addition to performing their humanitarian and moral duty declared by Yemen to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine from passing through the Red Sea, in solidarity and support for the Palestinian people, the enemy forces provided The American attack on three boats belonging to the Yemeni naval forces, which led to the martyrdom and loss of ten members of the naval forces.”
“The Yemeni armed forces, while bleeding in the midst of the battle to support the Al-Aqsa flood, these martyrs for the sake of Palestine, confirm that the American enemy bears the consequences of this crime and its repercussions, and that its military movements in the Red Sea to protect Israeli ships will not prevent Yemen from performing its religious, moral, and humanitarian duty in support and victory for the oppressed in Palestine.”
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“In another context, and with God’s grace, the naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces succeeded in carrying out a military operation targeting the Maersk Hangzhou container ship, which was heading to the ports of occupied Palestine, with appropriate naval missiles. The targeting operation came after the ship’s crew refused to respond to warning calls from the Yemeni naval forces.”
As in previous statements, Sarea said that the Houthis will continue to target any commercial vessel with links to Israel or heading to an Israeli port will be targeted by Houthi forces.
“The Yemeni armed forces renew their advice to all countries not to be drawn into the American plans aimed at igniting the conflict in the Red Sea, and that they will not hesitate to confront any aggression against our country and our people.”
“The Yemeni Armed Forces call on the sons of our great Yemeni people and all the free people of our Arab and Islamic nation to be extremely vigilant and prepared for all options in order to confront the American escalation in support of the criminal Zionist entity and encouraging it to commit more crimes against our brothers in Gaza,” the statement concluded.
CENTCOM Statement:
As previously reported, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) released a statement that the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou issued two distress signals on December 31 after being attacked by four Houthi small boats, which “fired crew served and small arms weapons” at the container ship and attempted to board, prompting an onboard contract security team to return fire.
Iranian-backed Houthi small boats attack merchant vessel and U.S. Navy helicopters in Southern Red Sea
On Dec. 31 at 6:30am (Sanaa time) the container ship MAERSK HANGZHOU issued a second distress call in less than 24 hours reporting being under attack by four Iranian-backed… pic.twitter.com/pj8NAzjbVF
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 31, 2023
The distress signals were received by American naval assets in the region and helicopters were dispatched from the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Gravely.
CENTCOM stated that “in the process of issuing verbal calls to the small boats, the small boats fired upon the U.S. helicopters with crew served weapons and small arms. The U.S. 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 U.S. personnel or equipment.”
