Yemen’s navy carried out a large drone and missile attack on a US ship in the Red Sea, the country’s armed forces announced in a statement on 10 January, in response to Washington’s killing of ten Yemeni naval officers at the end of last month.
“The naval forces, the missile force, and the unmanned aerial force of the Yemeni armed forces carried out a joint military operation with a large number of ballistic and naval missiles, as well as drones,” the statement read.
The targeted vessel was “an American ship that was providing support to the Zionist entity.”
“The operation came as a preliminary response to the treacherous attack our naval forces were subjected to by the American enemy on Sunday, 31 December, 2023,” the statement added.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm that they will not hesitate to deal appropriately with all threats within our right to legitimately defend of our country, our people, and our nation.”
The US military announced one day earlier that US and UK forces shot down 21 missiles and drones fired by the Ansarallah-led Yemeni government towards Red Sea shipping lanes.
It is unclear if the incident was related, as the Yemeni statement did not specify what date the operation against the US ship was carried out.
According to US officials, this was Yemen’s 26th attack. However, with this latest statement, Sanaa has only confirmed 13 operations.
These attacks come in solidarity with the people of Gaza and the Palestinian resistance, and aim to prevent goods from reaching Israeli ports for as long as Gaza’s access to aid is hindered. As a result, several international shipping giants have suspended travel through the Red Sea – forcing them to resort to expensive reroutes around the southern tip of Africa, resulting in higher shipping costs.
Yemeni attacks have also had a significant effect on the Israeli economy. Revenue from Israel’s port of Eilat, which Ansarallah has also targeted, has plummeted by 80 percent, the Israeli news outlet, Calcalist, reported last month.
The US established a maritime task force last month in order to protect Israeli interests in the Red Sea in response. As part of the operations of this task force, US helicopters sank three Yemeni vessels and killed ten naval officers on 31 December.
The President of Yemen’s Sanaa government, Mahdi al-Mashat, said on 6 January: “The blood of the martyrs of the naval forces triggered a new battle with the American enemy, and our response to it will inevitably come.”