The U.S. Central Command announced on Tuesday that it successfully destroyed a Houthi-controlled unmanned boat posing a threat to U.S. forces, coalition partners, and commercial ships in the Red Sea.
According to a statement released on X (formerly Twitter), the operation took place at 9 a.m. Sanaa time on Monday, marking a defensive measure against the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists.
The unmanned vessel was identified as an imminent threat to the safety of U.S. and coalition forces as well as commercial navigation in the region.
The statement further highlighted the necessity of such actions to ensure the freedom of navigation and to secure international waters for the safety of American, coalition, and commercial vessels alike.
This development follows a report by the British Maritime Trade Operations (BMTO) on Monday, indicating an incident 150 nautical miles northwest of the Yemeni city of Al Hudaydah.
A ship’s captain reported receiving a call from an entity claiming to be part of the Yemeni navy, requesting the activation of the ship’s Automatic Identification System (AIS).
Shortly after the call, a crew member reported hearing what was suspected to be gunfire.
Over the months, Houthi attacks in Yemen have disrupted global shipping routes, prompting companies to reroute their paths through longer and costlier routes around the southern tip of Africa, raising concerns about a potential escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
In response to Houthi actions, both the United States and Britain have conducted strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen and have reclassified the group as a “terrorist organization.”
