Houthi supporters chant slogans as they attend a rally on March 26, 2023, in Sanaa.
The escalation, mentioned in a US statement on Sunday, follows weeks of Houthi attacks on ships it identified as being linked to Israel that were passing through the Bab el-Mandeb strait into the Red Sea.
This was, the Houthi spokesman said, in a bid to pressure Israel to stop its devastating war and siege on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 21,000 Palestinians.
US destroyers have teamed up with a few other nations to try and stop the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea under Operation Prosperity Guardian – though several partners have distanced themselves from the initiative.
The Red Sea clash on Monday was the first major direct military engagement between the US military and Houthi fighters. Here is what we know about how it all unfolded.
On Sunday at 6:30am Yemen time (03:30 GMT), the container ship Maersk Hangzhou issued a second distress call in a day, reporting being attacked by four “Houthi small boats”, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on X.
In response to the distress call, CENTCOM said, the USS Gravely shot down two anti-ship missiles fired at the Maersk vessel then helicopters from the Gravely and the USS Eisenhower were dispatched towards the Maersk Hangzhou.
The Houthis began launching drones and missiles towards the southern parts of Israel in October soon after the war broke out on October 7.
However, the drones were intercepted or fell short and the Iran-backed group started attacking ships in the Red Sea they said were linked to Israel.
Their attacks have disrupted many ships for making their way to Israel.
On December 19, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a multinational maritime protection force but the Houthis have said they will not back down unless Israel ceases its war on Gaza.
This was, the Houthi spokesman said, in a bid to pressure Israel to stop its devastating war and siege on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 21,000 Palestinians.
US destroyers have teamed up with a few other nations to try and stop the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea under Operation Prosperity Guardian – though several partners have distanced themselves from the initiative.
The Red Sea clash on Monday was the first major direct military engagement between the US military and Houthi fighters. Here is what we know about how it all unfolded.
On Sunday at 6:30am Yemen time (03:30 GMT), the container ship Maersk Hangzhou issued a second distress call in a day, reporting being attacked by four “Houthi small boats”, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on X.
In response to the distress call, CENTCOM said, the USS Gravely shot down two anti-ship missiles fired at the Maersk vessel then helicopters from the Gravely and the USS Eisenhower were dispatched towards the Maersk Hangzhou.
The Houthis began launching drones and missiles towards the southern parts of Israel in October soon after the war broke out on October 7.
However, the drones were intercepted or fell short and the Iran-backed group started attacking ships in the Red Sea they said were linked to Israel.
Their attacks have disrupted many ships for making their way to Israel.
On December 19, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a multinational maritime protection force but the Houthis have said they will not back down unless Israel ceases its war on Gaza.
Maersk announced on Sunday that it was pausing all sailing through the Red Sea for the next 48 hours.
Together with German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk operates almost a quarter of the world’s shipping fleet.
Other shipping firms have also responded to the escalating maritime conflict. Shipping firm Evergreen has temporarily stopped accepting Israeli cargo.
Firms including CH Robinson, Evergreen, HMM, Ocean Network Express, Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Yang Ming Marine Transport are planning to avoid the Red Sea and increase the number of ships rerouting around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope rather than the Suez Canal. This new route is longer and costlier.
While these attacks have had a “fairly limited” impact on the oil market so far, experts postulate that prices could rise if the situation continues.
