The U.S. Navy sunk three Houthi terrorist boats after the group attacked a container ship in the Red Sea.
“On Dec. 31 at 6:30am (Sanaa time) the container ship MAERSK HANGZHOU issued a second distress call in less than 24 hours reporting being under attack by four Iranian-backed Houthi small boats. The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew served and small arms weapons at the MAERSK HANGZHOU, getting to within 20 meters of the vessel, and attempted to board the vessel,” U.S. Central Command shared on X.
“A contract embarked security team on the MAERSK HANZGHOU returned fire. U.S. helicopters from the USS EISENHOWER (CVN 69) and GRAVELY (DDG 107) responded to the distress call and in the process of issuing verbal calls to the small boats, the small boats fired upon the U.S. helicopters with crew served weapons and small arms. The U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews. The fourth boat fled the area. There was no damage to U.S. personnel or equipment.”
American Faith reported that Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, leader of the Houthi movement, said his organization would attack U.S. warships if the Pentagon’s operation to counter Houthi forces used military force.
“We will not stand idly by if the Americans are tempted to escalate further and commit foolishness by targeting our country or waging war against it,” he said in a televised speech, according to Reuters.
“Any American targeting of our country will be targeted by us, and we will make American battleships, interests, and navigation a target for our missiles, drones, and military operations.”
“As long as the Americans want to enter into a direct war with us, they should know that we are not those who fear them, and that they are facing an entire people,” al-Houthi added, noting that American soldiers in Yemen would “face something harsher than what they faced in Afghanistan and what they suffered in Vietnam.”
A Houthi spokesman previously called for the “death” of America.
Hezam al-Asad, a spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi group, wrote a message calling for the “death” of the United States.
In a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, al-Asad wrote, “Allah is the greatest. Grow up and raise your cry, God’s promise has come. Allah is the greatest. Death to America. Death to Israel. [Expletive] the Jews. Victory for Islam.”
According to the Associated Press, the tweet echoes the Houthi movement’s slogan: “God is the greatest, death to America, death to Israel. Curse the Jews, victory to Islam.”
