Atlanta, United States (CNN)– An American official told the network CNN A Houthi missile attack on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden led to the death of crew members, marking the first time that deaths have been reported as a result of sustained attacks on ships crossing the Red Sea carried out by the Iranian-backed armed group.
Another American official confirmed that there were casualties in the attack on the ship M/V True ConfidenceBut he declined to provide further details. The first official said the ship has been abandoned since then.
One of the officials said that the attack occurred at noon, Sanaa time. The strike represents a major escalation of Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, which began in October in response to the Israeli war in Gaza.
The Houthis have launched more than 45 missile and drone attacks against commercial naval vessels, US and coalition forces operating in the Red Sea, according to US and Western officials, most of which were intercepted by US and coalition destroyers or landed in the waters without causing any damage.
So far, no military ships have been affected by Houthi drones or missiles, according to US Defense Department spokesman Major Pete Nguyen. But more than a dozen commercial ships, including several American ships, have been hit since October, Nguyen said.
The US and UK have also carried out four rounds of strikes against Houthi targets inside Yemen since January, striking targets including weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars, And the helicopters used by the Houthis.
US Central Command forces also regularly launched dynamic strikes against Houthi missiles that were preparing to launch from inside Yemen.
However, the Biden administration is struggling to stop the attacks, and the group continues to fortify its weapons stockpile inside Yemen, CNN previously reported.
“We know that the Houthis maintain a large arsenal,” Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said last week, hours after the Houthis hit another cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden with ballistic missiles. “They have advanced weapons, and that’s because they continue to get them from Iran.” .
It is not clear whether the United States will change its military approach further. .
“They continue to surprise us,” one senior defense official said, referring to the Houthis. “We don’t have a good idea what they still have.”
Despite the strong presence of US and coalition forces in the Red Sea, which includes the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and several US destroyers, Houthi attacks have caused a significant decline in the number of ships passing through the Suez Canal.
The corridor connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, allowing ships to cut thousands of miles of shipping routes instead of sailing around Africa. In the first half of February, the Suez Canal saw a 42% drop in monthly transit and an 82% drop in container tonnage from its peak in 2023, according to the United Nations.
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