Red Sea crisis: Navy choppers, merchant ships attacked by Houthi rebels, says US; Maersk suspends operations

Yemen's Houthi rebels, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, have stepped up their assault on vessels in Red Sea

In a fresh flare-up in the Red Sea, the Houthi rebels of Yemen have been accused by the United States of attacking navy choppers and merchant ships in the vital sea trading route.

The attack was carried out by Houthi militants using four boats, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on December 31. The American naval force "returned fire in self-defense" that sank three Houthi-operated boats, it added.

"The fourth boat fled the area," it further noted.

CENTCOM, while narrating the sequence of events, said the American forces responded after the container ship MAERSK HANGZHOU issued a distress call at around 6:30 am (Sanaa time).

"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," it said.

The US helicopters operating in the region 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 American choppers returned fire in self-defense, "sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews", it claimed.

Maersk suspends operations

Maersk, whose vessel came under attack, said it was suspending vessels' passage through Red Sea strait for the next 48 hours.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane with strikes they say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling militant group Hamas.

The attacks are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade, prompting the United States to set up a multinational naval task force this month to protect Red Sea shipping.

The latest round of the Israel-Hamas conflict began when the Palestinian militant group carried out a shock cross-border attack from Gaza on October 7 that killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

The United States rushed military aid to support Israel, which has carried out a relentless campaign in Gaza that has killed at least 21,672 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

Those deaths have sparked widespread anger in the Middle East and provided an impetus for attacks by armed groups across the region that are opposed to Israel.

US forces in Iraq and Syria have also repeatedly come under fire from drone and rocket attacks that Washington says are being carried out by Iran-backed armed groups.

(With AFP inputs)