Houthis target US ships and expand operations as part of attack escalations in the region

The Houthis have increased their attacks over the last several days, saying Tuesday that they “targeted two American destroyers and two ships in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.”

Their spokesman said they used drones to target the US ships, after a month in which it appeared that Houthi attacks had leveled off or had been reduced.

US Central Command said on April 29 that “between 10 a.m. and 5:20 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) and three UAVs from Yemen into the Red Sea towards MV Cyclades, a Malta-flagged, Greece-owned vessel. Initial reports indicate there were no injuries and the vessel continued on its way.”

The new attacks are raising eyebrows in the region. They were front page news at the pro-Iran Al-Mayadeen, which shows that Iran and its proxies view the new attacks as important moves for the Iran-backed “axis of resistance.” Tehran has been continuing to push Hamas and Hezbollah to carry out attacks on Israel. For instance, terrorists in both Lebanon and Gaza have targeted the Jewish state with rockets in recent days.

The Houthis are a third front where Iran seeks to escalate attacks. The Al-Ain media in the Gulf said that “new naval attacks were carried out by Houthi militias against American cargo ships and destroyers, extending from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.”

The report quoted Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree, as saying that the militias carried out a series of attacks that targeted the Israeli ship MSC Orion, the Cyclades ship, and two American destroyers.

The Iranian-backed groups often claim to attack Israeli ships or Israel-linked ships without providing evidence of the connection or claim. We reported overnight at The Jerusalem Post that the Portugal-flagged MSC Orion was sailing between the ports in Sines, Portugal and Salalah, Oman and its registered owner is Zodiac Maritime, according to LSEG data.

Houthis expand operations

The report goes on to claim that the attack on the MSC Orion took place in the Indian Ocean. This is also an escalation because the Houthis have usually concentrated attacks in the Red Sea. They have also carried out attacks in the Indian Ocean, but this expands their area of operation.

The report at Al-Ain media said that the Houthis had “confirmed that the hit on the Cyclades ship came after an attack targeted it in the Red Sea.” The Cyclades sails under the flag of Malta, reports said and was targeted with drones and missiles for “violating the ban and heading to the port of Eilat on April 21, using deception and camouflage, under the pretense that it was heading to another port,” the report said.

In addition, the Houthis are escalating attacks on US ships trying to prevent Houthi attacks over the last five months.

The ships come under US Central Command’s overall mission to secure shipping and prevent destabilization in the region.“

Last week, the Houthi militia claimed responsibility for targeting the Andromeda Star in the Red Sea, and shooting down an American drone in its home stronghold of Saada, in the far north of Yemen,” Al-Ain noted. The same report said that the Houthis had targeted the MSC Darwin sailing in the Gulf of Aden, the American ship Maersk Yorktown, an American destroyer in the Gulf of Aden, and the “Israeli ship MSC VERACRUZ in the Indian Ocean.”

The Houthis claim they have now attacked 102 ships. They also claim to be expanding operations in the Indian Ocean. They issued a video message about this claim, but did not elaborate about these incidents. However the Houthi claims clearly show they want to appear to be increasing their attacks.

On April 29 US Central Command said that their forces “successfully engaged and destroyed one Houthi-launched airborne unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on a flight path towards USS Philippine Sea and USS Laboon in the Red Sea. There were no injuries nor damages reported by US, coalition, or merchant vessels.”

On April 28 the US said “between 1:48 and 2:27 a.m. (Sanaa time), US Central Command (USCENTCOM) successfully engaged five airborne unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over the Red Sea. It was determined the UAVs presented an imminent threat to US, coalition, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US, coalition, and merchant vessel.”

Seth Frantzman is the author of Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machine, Artificial Intelligence and the Battle for the Future (Bombardier 2021) and an adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies.