Friday, January 5, 2024

After U.S., Others, Write Strongly Worded Letter, Houthis Launch Explosive Sea-Drone

Egypt gets something like one third of government revenue from Suez canal tolls. At what point will they be forced to attack the Iran-backed Houthi and get a Sunni-Shia war going?

From PBS, January 4:

Houthis launch sea drone to attack ships hours after U.S., allies issue ‘final warning’

 An armed unmanned surface vessel launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen got within a “couple of miles” of U.S. Navy and commercial vessels in the Red Sea before detonating on Thursday, just hours after the White House and a host of partner nations issued a “final warning” to the Iran-backed militia group to cease the attacks or face potential military action.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Navy operations in the Middle East, said it was the first time the Houthis had used an unmanned surface vessel, or USV, since their harassment of commercial ships in the Red Sea began after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. They have, however, used them in years past.

Fabian Hinz, a missile expert and research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the USV’s are a key part of the Houthi maritime arsenal and were used during previous battles against the Saudi coalition forces that intervened in Yemen’s war. They have regularly been used as suicide drone boats that explode upon impact....

....MUCH MORE