US weighs options to retaliate against Houthi attacks in Red Sea: Report

Top officials in Washington are actively weighing options to strike back at Yemen’s Houthis after the Iran-backed militant group launched a number of attacks against naval and commercial ships in the Red Sea, reported Politico citing two United States officials. This comes a day after major shipping firms announced that they would be avoiding the Suez Canal, a key trade route between Europe and Asia, a move which could potentially affect global trade.

Will US respond to Houthi attacks?

Over the last few weeks, the Yemen-based Houthis have launched a number of attacks against commercial ships passing through the Red Sea amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The attacks have mostly been thwarted by the American forces in the region but given the rise of such incidents, the US may be planning to ramp up its forces to now retaliate.

WATCH |Houthi Red Sea attacks: Iran warns against proposed US-backed Red Sea force

The Pentagon has in recent days moved the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group from the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen, to support a potential US response to attacks, one of the American officials told Politico on the condition of anonymity.

The report citing officials also said that the US military has provided options to commanders to strike the Houthis. However, President Joe Biden’s administration is reluctant to respond to these attacks amid fear of provoking Iran.

Earlier, the Pentagon itself had reportedly recommended against it but given the significant uptick in attacks, US officials may be looking to change their tactics.

ALSO READ |Tanker carrying jet fuel from India hit by missiles from Houthi-controlled Yemen, gunmen on speedboats

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who is in the midst of a trip to the Middle East, said Houthis were a “material threat” to shipping and commerce in the region but the ultimate responsibility for the attacks lies with Iran.

Recent attacks

As the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza rages on, Houthis who have expressed support for the Palestinian militant group have issued multiple warnings saying that they would target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of their nationality, and warned international shipping companies against dealing in Israeli ports.

On Saturday (Dec 16) morning, the US and United Kingdom navy vessels shot down suspected attack drones which were said to have been targeting shipping vessels.

American destroyer USS Carney shot down 14 one-way attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, said the US Central Command. HMS Diamond, a British destroyer, which was recently deployed in the Red Sea to help protect commercial shipping, also shot down one suspected Houthi drone.

This was a day after two cargo ships in the Red Sea had been attacked by missiles and drones fired from a Houthi-controlled part of Yemen. The attacks took place near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key route for global trade.

ALSO READ |IDF confirms Houthis hijacked India-bound ship in Red Sea, but says it's not Israeli vessel

One ship was also attacked by a suspected Houthi drone but the Iran-backed group did not claim responsibility for it. “We are aware that something launched from a Houthi-controlled region of Yemen struck this vessel which was damaged, and there was a report of a fire,” a US military official told AFP referring to the drone attack.

Shipping firms to avoid Suez Canal

Major shipping firms, including MSC, the world’s biggest container shipping line, on Saturday said that they will avoid the Suez Canal in light of the attacks in the Red Sea.

Denmark’s AP Moller-Maersk, on Friday (Dec 15) said that they are pausing all its container shipments through Bab al-Mandab until further notice, Swiss-based MSC and French shipping group CMA CGM followed suit the next day.

(With inputs from agencies)