A Houthi drone boat packed with explosives detonated in the Red Sea on Thursday but failed to cause any damage or casualties, the US&nbsp;Navy said, as the Yemen-based group continued its attacks in defiance of international calls to stop.

The latest attack came one day after 12 countries including the US&nbsp;Britain and Japan issued a joint statement cautioning the Houthis of unspecified "consequences" unless it halts its attacks, in what one US&nbsp;official on Wednesday suggested was a final warning.

The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have launched wave after wave of exploding drones and missiles at commercial vessels since Nov. 19, trying to inflict a cost in what they say is a protest against Israel's military operations in Gaza.

The Houthi campaign has been extraordinarily disruptive to international shipping, causing some companies to suspend transits through the Red Sea and instead take the much longer, costlier journey around Africa.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads US&nbsp;Naval forces in the Middle East, told reporters on Thursday that the Houthi exploding boat drove out about 50 miles (80.47 kilometres) into the Red Sea and then detonated in dense shipping lanes.

"It came within a couple of miles of ships operating in the area — merchant ships and U.S. Navy ships — and we all watched as it exploded," Cooper told reporters, adding the target of the attack was not clear.

Cooper said there have now been 25 attacks by the Houthis against merchant vessels transiting the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and added "there are no signs that their irresponsible behaviour is abating."

The repeated Houthi attacks have increased pressure on President Joe Biden to respond militarily, something his administration has been reluctant to do out of fear of escalating already soaring regional tensions.

Retired four-star Marine general Frank McKenzie, who led US&nbsp;forces in the Middle East until retiring in 2022, said the Biden administration's response to attacks in the Red Sea and against US&nbsp;troops at bases in Iraq and Syria has been too "tentative" and "unfocused."

"To reset deterrence, we must apply violence that Tehran understands," McKenzie wrote in an Op-Ed published on Thursday in the Wall Street Journal.

The United States and other countries last month launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect civilian vessels, which Cooper said now included contributions from 22 countries. So far, Cooper said US&nbsp;warships and US&nbsp;partners have shot down two cruise missiles, six anti-ship ballistic missiles and 11 drones.

On Sunday, US&nbsp;warships sank three Houthi speed boats to protect a commercial vessel from being hijacked.

A senior Biden administration official told reporters on Wednesday "if that happened again, we would probably do the exact same thing." The same official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 12-nation statement to the Houthis was very clear.

"I would not anticipate another warning," the official said.

At the United Nations, a US&nbsp;representative told the U.N. Security Council the United States believed the situation in the Red Sea had reached an "inflection point."

Asked whether Operation Prosperity Guardian might target Houthi positions with strikes to prevent them from attacking ships, Cooper said that the 22-nation coalition was purely defensive in nature.

"Anything that happens outside of the defensive aspect of this operation is a completely different operation," he said.

The Houthis have said their attacks on commercial shipping target vessels with Israeli links or were sailing to Israel.

But many vessels have had no Israeli connection and were not bound for Israeli ports, and major shipping lines have suspended their operations through the Red Sea.

Cooper said the ships that have been attacked have direct connections to 55 countries.

"So regardless of the vessel's company ownership or its destination, these Houthi attacks are for sure destabilizing and contrary to international law and clearly … must stop immediately," Cooper said.

A Houthi drone boat packed with explosives detonated in the Red Sea on Thursday but failed to cause any damage or casualties, the US Navy said, as the Yemen-based group continued its attacks in defiance of international calls to stop.

A Houthi drone boat packed with explosives detonated in the Red Sea on Thursday but failed to cause any damage or casualties, the US Navy said, as the Yemen-based group continued its attacks in defiance of international calls to stop. The latest attack came one day after 12 countries including the US Britain and Japan issued a joint statement cautioning the Houthis of unspecified "consequences" unless it halts its attacks, in what one US official on Wednesday suggested was a final warning. The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have launched wave after wave of exploding drones and missiles at commercial vessels since Nov. 19, trying to inflict a cost in what they say is a protest against Israel's military operations in Gaza. The Houthi campaign has been extraordinarily disruptive to international shipping, causing some companies to suspend transits through the Red Sea and instead take the much longer, costlier journey around Africa. Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads US Naval forces in the Middle East, told reporters on Thursday that the Houthi exploding boat drove out about 50 miles (80.47 kilometres) into the Red Sea and then detonated in dense shipping lanes. "It came within a couple of miles of ships operating in the area — merchant ships and U.S. Navy ships — and we all watched as it exploded," Cooper told reporters, adding the target of the attack was not clear. Cooper said there have now been 25 attacks by the Houthis against merchant vessels transiting the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and added "there are no signs that their irresponsible behaviour is abating." The repeated Houthi attacks have increased pressure on President Joe Biden to respond militarily, something his administration has been reluctant to do out of fear of escalating already soaring regional tensions. Retired four-star Marine general Frank McKenzie, who led US forces in the Middle East until retiring in 2022, said the Biden administration's response to attacks in the Red Sea and against US troops at bases in Iraq and Syria has been too "tentative" and "unfocused." "To reset deterrence, we must apply violence that Tehran understands," McKenzie wrote in an Op-Ed published on Thursday in the Wall Street Journal. The United States and other countries last month launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect civilian vessels, which Cooper said now included contributions from 22 countries. So far, Cooper said US warships and US partners have shot down two cruise missiles, six anti-ship ballistic missiles and 11 drones. On Sunday, US warships sank three Houthi speed boats to protect a commercial vessel from being hijacked. A senior Biden administration official told reporters on Wednesday "if that happened again, we would probably do the exact same thing." The same official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 12-nation statement to the Houthis was very clear. "I would not anticipate another warning," the official said. At the United Nations, a US representative told the U.N. Security Council the United States believed the situation in the Red Sea had reached an "inflection point." Asked whether Operation Prosperity Guardian might target Houthi positions with strikes to prevent them from attacking ships, Cooper said that the 22-nation coalition was purely defensive in nature. "Anything that happens outside of the defensive aspect of this operation is a completely different operation," he said. The Houthis have said their attacks on commercial shipping target vessels with Israeli links or were sailing to Israel. But many vessels have had no Israeli connection and were not bound for Israeli ports, and major shipping lines have suspended their operations through the Red Sea. Cooper said the ships that have been attacked have direct connections to 55 countries. "So regardless of the vessel's company ownership or its destination, these Houthi attacks are for sure destabilizing and contrary to international law and clearly … must stop immediately," Cooper said.

Houthi drone boat detonates in Red Sea a day after US warning

The US-led 12-nation coalition has warned Yemen-based and Iran-backed Houthi rebels of "consequences" unless they stop their attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea.&nbsp;

On December 19, 2023, Washington announced the launch of a "multinational security initiative" — constituting Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Seychelles and the United Kingdom among others — to protect trade in the Red Sea after attacks by Houthi rebels in purported solidarity with Palestinians living under a state of war in Gaza&nbsp;forced at least a dozen shipping lines to suspend operations.

"Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews," the White House said in a statement released on Wednesday, Jan 3, 2023.

Hours after the White House statement, the UN maritime agency said that eighteen shipping companies are re-routing their vessels around Africa to avoid the Red Sea amid an upsurge in attacks on shipping.

"A significant number of companies, around 18 shipping companies, have already decided to reroute their vessels around South Africa to reduce the attacks on vessels," said International Maritime Organization chief Arsenio Dominguez.

"(This) represents an additional 10 days to the journeys (and) negative impact on trade and on increasing freight rates."

<h2>Houthis will bear 'responsibility' if threat to 'global economy' continues: US-led alliance</h2>

The US-led alliance said that the Houthis will bear the consequences if they continue to threaten the global economy.

"The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways."

The statement comes after reports in the US media that the Biden administration is considering direct strikes on the Houthis if the attacks continue.

Also watch |&nbsp;Red Sea Crisis: Iran warship enters trade passage amid Houthi attacks on vessels

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The US has sent an aircraft carrier, the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, to the area and earlier announced a coalition of countries to protect movement in the Red Sea, through which 12 per cent of global trade passes.

The Indian Navy, too, has deployed INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, INS Mormugao, INS Chennai, and INS Visakhapatnam in the north Arabian Sea region following attacks on India-bound merchant vessels while they were in the maritime region under attack by the Houthis.&nbsp;

Around 20,000 ships transit annually through the Suez Canal, carrying millions of barrels of oil daily and&nbsp;goods made in Asia. The Houthis have sought to target Bab al-Mandab, a 29 km wide shipping route at its narrowest point in the Red Sea, that has threatened the passage of these merchant vessels across the Suez Canal.

<img alt="main img" src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2023/12/25/401386-untitled-design-2023-12-25t002340471.png?imwidth=3840" />

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/red-sea-ship-attacks-inside-disrupted-shipping-route-over-west-asias-gate-of-tears-673216">Red Sea ship attacks: Inside disrupted shipping route through West Asia's 'gate of tears'</a> 
 
The White House statement pointed out that the merchant shipping vessels through the maritime region also constitute&nbsp;8 per cent of global grain trade, 12 per cent of seaborne-traded oil, and 8 per cent of the world’s liquefied natural gas trade.

Yemen's Houthis, despite a semblance of cessation of hostilities during the Yemeni civil war, at present&nbsp;have drones, short-range rockets, and even ballistic missiles reportedly due to Iranian support.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The US-led 12-nation coalition has warned Yemen-based and Iran-backed Houthi rebels of "consequences" unless they stop their attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea.

The US-led 12-nation coalition has warned Yemen-based and Iran-backed Houthi rebels of "consequences" unless they stop their attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea. On December 19, 2023, Washington announced the launch of a "multinational security initiative" — constituting Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Seychelles and the United Kingdom among others — to protect trade in the Red Sea after attacks by Houthi rebels in purported solidarity with Palestinians living under a state of war in Gaza forced at least a dozen shipping lines to suspend operations. "Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews," the White House said in a statement released on Wednesday, Jan 3, 2023. Hours after the White House statement, the UN maritime agency said that eighteen shipping companies are re-routing their vessels around Africa to avoid the Red Sea amid an upsurge in attacks on shipping. "A significant number of companies, around 18 shipping companies, have already decided to reroute their vessels around South Africa to reduce the attacks on vessels," said International Maritime Organization chief Arsenio Dominguez. "(This) represents an additional 10 days to the journeys (and) negative impact on trade and on increasing freight rates." Houthis will bear 'responsibility' if threat to 'global economy' continues: US-led alliance The US-led alliance said that the Houthis will bear the consequences if they continue to threaten the global economy. "The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways." The statement comes after reports in the US media that the Biden administration is considering direct strikes on the Houthis if the attacks continue. Also watch | Red Sea Crisis: Iran warship enters trade passage amid Houthi attacks on vessels × The US has sent an aircraft carrier, the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, to the area and earlier announced a coalition of countries to protect movement in the Red Sea, through which 12 per cent of global trade passes. The Indian Navy, too, has deployed INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, INS Mormugao, INS Chennai, and INS Visakhapatnam in the north Arabian Sea region following attacks on India-bound merchant vessels while they were in the maritime region under attack by the Houthis. Around 20,000 ships transit annually through the Suez Canal, carrying millions of barrels of oil daily and goods made in Asia. The Houthis have sought to target Bab al-Mandab, a 29 km wide shipping route at its narrowest point in the Red Sea, that has threatened the passage of these merchant vessels across the Suez Canal. Also read | Red Sea ship attacks: Inside disrupted shipping route through West Asia's 'gate of tears' The White House statement pointed out that the merchant shipping vessels through the maritime region also constitute 8 per cent of global grain trade, 12 per cent of seaborne-traded oil, and 8 per cent of the world’s liquefied natural gas trade. Yemen's Houthis, despite a semblance of cessation of hostilities during the Yemeni civil war, at present have drones, short-range rockets, and even ballistic missiles reportedly due to Iranian support. (With inputs from agencies)

US, allies warn Yemen's Houthis of 'consequences' if Red Sea shipping crisis continues

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Houthi drone boat detonates in Red Sea a day after US warning

US, allies warn Yemen's Houthis of 'consequences' if Red Sea shipping crisis continues