US Military "Repels Yemeni Houthi Rebel Fast Boat"

The U.S. military repelled a high-speed boat attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on a civilian vessel in the Red Sea as a military response. This marks the first direct engagement between U.S. forces and Yemeni rebel vessels since the Houthis began actively intervening in the war between Israel and Hamas.

U.S. Central Command announced on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that at around 6:30 a.m. on the 31st, the container ship Maersk Hangzhou, passing through the Red Sea, sent an urgent distress call reporting an attack by small high-speed boats operated by the Houthi rebels.

Central Command stated, "The Houthi rebels approached the Maersk Hangzhou within 20 meters and threatened it by firing small arms," adding, "Upon receiving the distress call, U.S. forces dispatched helicopters from the aircraft carrier Eisenhower (CVN 69) and the destroyer Gravely, which repelled several of the Houthi rebels' high-speed boats."

Central Command further explained, "As the rebel vessels fired upon the helicopters after verbal warnings, the U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense."

Out of the four rebel vessels, three were sunk. The Houthi rebels have primarily used missiles and drones to attack ships in the Red Sea. The U.S. military has retaliated by tracing missile launch sites within Yemen.

The Houthi rebels, citing their support for Hamas, which is under attack by Israeli forces, seized a cargo ship related to Israel on the 19th of last month. By expanding their targets, they have nearly paralyzed maritime logistics in the Red Sea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.