Houthi drone boat detonates in Red Sea a day after US warning
- The latest incident came a day after the US and 11 other countries warned Yemen’s Houthis of unspecified ‘consequences’ unless it halts its attacks
- Vice-admiral Brad Cooper, who leads US Naval forces in the Middle East, said the explosions came close to US Navy ships operating in the area
A Houthi drone boat packed with explosives detonated in the Red Sea on Thursday but failed to cause any damage or casualties, the US Navy said, as the Yemen-based group continued its attacks in defiance of international calls to stop.
The latest attack came one day after 12 countries including the US, Britain and Japan issued a joint statement cautioning the Houthis of unspecified “consequences” unless it halts its attacks, in what one US official on Wednesday suggested was a final warning.
The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have launched wave after wave of exploding drones and missiles at commercial vessels since November 19, trying to inflict a cost in what they say is a protest against Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
The Houthi campaign has been extraordinarily disruptive to international shipping, causing some companies to suspend transits through the Red Sea and instead take the much longer, costlier journey around Africa.
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Vice-admiral Brad Cooper, who leads US Naval forces in the Middle East, told reporters on Thursday that the Houthi exploding boat drove out about 80km (50 miles) into the Red Sea and then detonated in dense shipping lanes.