In the Red Sea, the British and American armies thwart “the largest attack” by the Houthis

British and American forces shot down 18 drones and three missiles fired by the Houthis in the Red Sea on Tuesday evening, in what the British government described on Wednesday as “abiggest attack» Yemeni rebels to this day. The UN Security Council on Wednesday demanded an end to “immediate» Houthi attacks.

“Overnight», the British ship HMS Diamond and American warshipssuccessfully repelled the largest attack to date in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis“, wrote British Defense Minister Grant Shapps on the social networkThe Diamond foiled several drone attacks on itself and merchant ships in the area», added the minister, specifying that there had been no injuries to the crew or damage caused to the British ship.

The American army had indicated a few hours earlier that 18 drones and three missiles fired by the Houthis had been shot down, as part of an attack “complex“. The Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement onlarge number» missiles and drones had targeted an American ship which “provided support» to Israel in its war against Hamas.

He did not specify the date or location of the attack, but a Houthi leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, assured AFP that these were the same events reported by the American and British forces. The rebels had declared that their actions constituted a “first response to the treacherous attack on our forces on December 31“. That day, responding to a request for assistance from a commercial vessel, US Navy helicopters sank three Houthi boats, killing ten crew members.

Twenty-sixth attack

This new attack came while the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, was on a regional tour aimed, among other things, at preventing the war between Israel and Hamas from spreading. “The Houthis, supported by Iranlaunched a complex Iranian-designed attack in the southern Red Sea using drones, anti-ship cruise missiles and an anti-ship ballistic missile“, indicated the American military Command in the Middle East (Centcom). Tuesday evening’s attack was the 26th targeting commercial maritime traffic in the Red Sea since mid-January, according to Centcom.

“Enough is enough. We must be clear with the Houthis that this must stop and that is my simple message to them today: get ready», Threatened Grant Shapps on the Sky News channel. “There is no doubt that Iran is behind what is happening in the Red Sea“, he added. Antony Blinken also accused Iran of “sustain” and D'”encourage» attacks in the Red Sea.

“These attacks were supported and encouraged by Iran in terms of technology, equipment, intelligence and information, and they have a real impact on populations“, he told the press in Bahrain. The drones and missiles were shot down by fighter jets deployed from the US aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, three US destroyers and a British warship, the HMS Diamond, Centcom said in a statement.

Read alsoRed Sea: 18 carriers bypass Africa to avoid attacks by Houthi rebels

International maritime traffic slowed

Since the start of the war on October 7 between Israel and Hamas, the Houthis, who control a large part of Yemen, have increased attacks in the Red Sea in order to slow down international maritime traffic there, claiming to act in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza.

Container ship traffic in the Red Sea has fallen by around 70% since mid-November due to attacks by Houthi rebels targeting merchant ships in this region, Ami Daniel, head of a consulting firm, said on Wednesday. and expertise in maritime transport. “The passage of ro-ro – vessels carrying vehicles – in the Red Sea has fallen by 90%. They no longer pass through this region», According to Ami Daniel. Concerning bulk carriers – bulk carriers – he estimates that their number has fallen by 15% in the Red Sea since the start of the Houthi attacks in retaliation for Israeli bombings on Gaza. Only oil ships still use the Suez Canal, accessible from the Red Sea, as much as before.

Israel sworeto annihilate» Hamas after its attack of unprecedented scale on Israeli soil, in which 1,140 people, mainly civilians, were killed, according to an AFP count based on the Israeli toll. The incessant Israeli shelling has left more than 23,210 dead in Gaza, mainly women, children and adolescents, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.

Israel’s first ally, the United States, set up an international coalition in December to protect maritime traffic from Houthi attacks, in this strategic zone where 12% of world trade passes. The British Defense Minister announced Tuesday evening that another frigate, the HMS Richmond, was on its way to the Red Sea to counter “attacks» of the Houthis.