A drone fired by Yemen‘s Houthi rebels hit a commercial oil tanker in the Red Sea on Saturday, Pentagon officials said, while the Iran-backed group launched another four attack drones toward a U.S. warship in the region.
The attacks represent a direct challenge by the Iran-affiliated Houthis to the U.S., which recently launched an international task force to protect merchant ships in the increasingly dangerous waterways. The weekend brought fresh reminders of how serious the situation in the Red Sea has become.
In one incident, the Houthis fired four attack drones toward an American warship, the USS Laboon. The ship shot down the drones before they reached their target. There were no injuries or damage, according to U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East.
It’s the latest in a string of direct clashes between U.S. forces and the Houthis, who control parts of Yemen and have ramped up attacks on U.S. and Israeli targets in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel. The U.S. has mostly warded off the Houthi attacks, but on one occasion recently, the Houthis shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone operating in international airspace off the coast of Yemen.
The Houthis are now also targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea. U.S. officials said the Houthis launched anti-ship ballistic missiles “into international shipping lanes” on Saturday, though no vessels were hit. The Houthis also launched an attack drone toward a Norwegian-flagged chemical and oil tanker. The ship reported a “near miss,” officials said, and the drone apparently crashed into the sea.
But another Houthi drone did reach its target. U.S. officials said the M/V SAIBABA, a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker, was struck by the Houthi unmanned craft. No one was injured.
“These attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since Oct. 17,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
The multiple incidents Saturday raise questions about the ability of the U.S. and its partners to stop the Houthi attacks. Last week, Pentagon officials touted the creation of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a maritime highway patrol with the mission of keeping the peace in the region.
More than 20 nations have signed on to participate in the mission, Defense Department officials said.
“This is an international problem that requires an international response. We will continue to work with this ‘coalition of the willing’ and all countries will be able to contribute what they feel that they can,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters last week. “In some cases, that will include vessels. In other cases, it could include staff or other types of support.”
Pentagon officials declined to elaborate on the strategy and tactics that the task force will employ to counter the Houthi attacks. The forces will cover an area of about 450 square miles.
“We’re going to continue to work with the international community to safeguard those vessels that are transiting those waterways,” Gen. Ryder said. “I would hope that the Houthis would understand the pressure that they are going to bring onto themselves if they don’t stop these attacks.”
The Biden administration has condemned the Houthi attacks but so far has opted against striking Houthi positions inside Yemen. Such a move could escalate the Middle East conflict and could derail intensive United Nations-backed peace talks aimed at ending Yemen‘s long-running civil war.
Analysts warn that the Houthis have little incentive to stop their attacks. What’s worse, the group is widely seen as even more unpredictable than other Iran-backed outfits in the region, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Shiite militias that have repeatedly targeted U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria.
Last week, the White House said President Biden is considering re-designating Yemen’s Houthi organization as a foreign terrorist group, more than two years after he formally removed the designation.
“We are actually conducting a review right now on whether that’s the right course forward. We’ve talked about that. No decision has been [made] right now,” said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
• Jeff Mordock and Mike Glenn contributed to this report.
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