The United States military announced on Sunday that it had sunk three boats belonging to the Yemeni Houthis and killed their crews in response to the second attack in less than 24 hours on a container carrier in the Red Sea, while the Maersk company that owned the ship suspended transit in the region for 48 hours.

The Houthis are launching drone and missile attacks targeting ships near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, saying they want to exert pressure on Israel because of its devastating war with the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.

US Central Command (Centcom) said on the “X” platform that American helicopters “responded to a distress call from the Maersk Hangzhou”, a Danish container ship flying the Singapore flag, which said it had been attacked by four Houthi boats.

Central Command explained that the fire launched from the boats “reached a distance of 20 meters from the ship with an attempt to board it.”

It confirmed that the American helicopters re
sponded ‘to the distress call and while issuing verbal calls to the boats, the boats opened fire on the American helicopters,’ which responded, ‘by firing in self-defense, which led to the sinking of three of the four boats and the killing of their crew members.’

It added that “the fourth boat fled the area,” noting that “no harm was done to American personnel or equipment.”
Source: National News Agency-Lebanon