America and United Kingdom authorities say their warships have shot down 15 assault drones over the Crimson Sea as Israel’s battle on Gaza threatens to unfold within the area.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Saturday mentioned its guided-missile destroyer responded to a wave of drones from “Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen” over the Crimson Sea, downing 14 suspected assault drones.
It described the launches as “one-way attack drones”, saying they had been “shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries”.
UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps additionally mentioned the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond fired a Sea Viper missile and destroyed a drone that was “targeting merchant shipping”.
In the meantime, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis mentioned the group attacked the Israeli metropolis of Eilat on Saturday with a swarm of drones, in response to spokesman Yahya Sarea who referred to the Crimson Sea resort metropolis as being in “southern occupied Palestine”.
The Houthis have promised to proceed their assaults on vessels within the Crimson Sea, one of many world’s busiest transport routes, to stress Israel to cease its assaults on Gaza.
‘Global trade problem’
Upping a earlier pledge to assault any Israeli-linked ships, the Houthis have mentioned that any ship heading to and from Israel within the waters off Yemen can be focused.
CENTCOM reported three industrial ships got here beneath fireplace within the Crimson Sea on Friday.
Shapps mentioned assaults on industrial ships within the world commerce artery by Yemen’s Houthi rebels “represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security”.
“The UK remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade,” he mentioned in an announcement.
![Armed men stand on the beach as the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, is anchored off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. [REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/houthi-1702758017.jpeg?w=770&resize=770%2C447)
Risk to commerce has grown within the area as container ships and oil tankers flagged to nations comparable to Norway and Liberia have been attacked or drawn missile fireplace whereas traversing the waterway between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
French container transport line CMA CGM Group on Saturday mentioned it had ordered all its vessels scheduled to go via the Crimson Sea to “pause their journey in safe waters with immediate effect until further notice”.
On Friday, Maersk, the world’s largest transport firm, additionally advised all its vessels planning to go via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait within the Crimson Sea to cease their journeys after a missile assault on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship.
Germany-based shipper Hapag-Lloyd mentioned it was pausing all its container ship visitors via the Crimson Sea till Monday.
John Stawpert of the Worldwide Chamber of Transport advised Al Jazeera that the Houthi assaults on the Crimson Sea have had have a major influence on world commerce.
“We have seen two major carriers rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope [off South Africa] that will add six to 14 days to their voyage. It will delay the arrival of goods in the markets to which they’re being delivered,” he mentioned. “This is not an Israeli trade problem. This is a global trade problem.”
Stawpert mentioned the financial influence was not instantly clear however “if we look at the Suez Canal, we are talking about $3bn to $9bn of trade going through that every day – so it will be significant”.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels – who management a lot of Yemen however will not be recognised internationally – have engaged in Oman-mediated talks with “international parties” about their operations within the Crimson Sea and the Arabian Sea, a Houthi spokesman mentioned on Saturday.
The assertion didn’t establish the worldwide events concerned within the talks and didn’t say the place they passed off or when, however might point out the Houthis might be keen to deescalate.
The Houthis harassed within the Oman-mediated talks that their place was not topic to negotiation till Israel stopped its “aggression” in opposition to Gaza and allowed humanitarian help to enter, mentioned Houthi spokesman Mohamed Abdel-Salam.
Nevertheless, Abdel-Salam additionally mentioned “any real steps” addressing the humanitarian disaster in Gaza by bringing in meals and drugs “would contribute to reducing the escalation”.
“We have emphasised to everyone that [the Houthi] operations are to support the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and that we cannot stand idly by in the face of the aggression and siege,” he mentioned.
The US-based Semafor web site reported on Saturday that Washington was deliberating on immediately attacking the Houthis in response to elevated raids on the industrial transport vessels within the Crimson Sea.
Officers within the administration of US President Joe Biden advised the information website they had been weighing the strategic worth of concentrating on the group in opposition to probably heightening a wider Center East battle.
The US has frequently performed assaults on what it described as Iran-aligned teams in Iraq and Syria in response to assaults on bases housing US personnel.
US Nationwide Safety Adviser Jake Sullivan advised journalists in Tel Aviv on Friday that “while the Houthis are pulling the trigger, so to speak, they’re being handed the gun by Iran”.
