Houthi drone ship explodes in Red Sea as US steps up warnings

A drone boat filled with explosives launched from the part of Yemen controlled by Iran-backed Houthi militants drew within “a couple of miles” of U.S. Navy and commercial ships in the Red Sea before detonating Thursday, according to the Pentagon. 

The explosion of the unmanned surface vessel — which had transited 50 miles from Yemen out into Red Sea shipping lanes — came after the U.S. and 11 other countries called on Yemen’s Houthis to stop their attacks on merchant ships in the area, warning of unspecified “consequences.” 

The incident also marks the first time the group had used a drone ship to attempt to attack commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, according to Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. 

“It came within a couple of miles of ships operating in the area — merchant ships and U.S. Navy ships — and we all watched as it exploded,” Cooper told reporters, noting that the intended target of the attack was unclear. 

Since Nov. 18, the Houthis have aimed numerous exploding drones and missiles at merchant ships in an attempt to damage the vessels in protest of Israel’s deadly air campaign and on-the-ground military operations in the Gaza Strip.

The bombardments have successfully disrupted international shipping, with some companies suspending their Red Sea transits.

Cooper said there have been 25 Houthi attacks on merchant vessels transiting the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since mid-November, including Thursday’s, with “no signs that their irresponsible behavior is abating.”

There have been no casualties thus far, but he hinted that it may only be a matter of time before that could occur.

“Shipping lanes in this region are dense. The vessels approach a chokepoint. … They often form very narrow lines and travel near each other,” Cooper said. “This, coupled with the fact that Houthi missiles often miss their intended target, means that any ship, really at any time, is at risk of collateral damage when passing through the Houthi-controlled territory in the vicinity of the southern Red Sea.”  

Cooper said no Houthi drones or missiles have hit a commercial ship in the waterways since Dec. 18, when the U.S. launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, a now 22-nation maritime task force meant to defend ships from Houthi aggression in the Red Sea. 

The U.S., United Kingdom and France have provided the bulk of the warships, but Greece and Denmark will follow with their own vessels, he said. 

Since the operation began, the coalition has shot down 19 drones and missiles, including two cruise missiles and six anti-ship ballistic missiles. The group also sunk three small Houthi boats on Sunday, according to Cooper.

He added that 1,500 commercial ships have been able to transit the waterway safely since the operation began.

Still, President Biden has come under pressure from lawmakers who demand he should respond militarily, an action the administration has expressed hesitation over — excepting a defensive strike — due to fears that regional tensions may worsen or expand into a wider conflict.

“This is a global crisis brought on by weak presidential leadership. It is time for President Biden to allow our regional commanders the freedom of action they need to end terrorist behavior by the Houthis,” Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said in a statement later Thursday. “We cannot let terrorists dictate the flow of global trade in one of the world’s largest shipping lanes.”

Cooper, meanwhile, said Operation Prosperity Guardian is strictly defensive in nature.

“Anything that happens outside of the defensive aspect of this operation is a completely different operation,” he said.