In the "sea and air war" in the Red Sea, the US-British coalition and the Houthis engaged in a protracted conflict. Although the Houthis have mediocre missile technology, short range and low power, they have not succeeded in sinking British and American ships before. As the world's most advanced surface ship force, the US-British naval forces have successfully intercepted Houthi missile attacks on many occasions. However, according to recent sources from the Houthis, they have successfully sunk a British cargo ship, achieving the biggest result since the start of the Red Sea War.
The fighting, which took place over the past two days, mostly ended in a victory for the Houthis. The most notable of these was the successful strike by the Houthis on the British freighter Ruby on February 19.
As a result of the armed escort of the US-British coalition forces in the Red Sea, the Houthis expanded the scope of their strikes from "Israeli-related cargo ships" to "British and American cargo ships". The cargo ship "Ruby" was allegedly attacked by Houthi missiles on its way from Saudi Arabia to Bulgaria to deliver fertilizer. A spokesman for the Houthis, General Yahya, said the cargo ship had been completely sunk but the crew had been rescued safely. The British also confirmed that no crew was in the attack.
In addition to the successful sinking of the British cargo ship, the Houthis also successfully attacked two American cargo ships during the same time period. One of them was the Champion of the Seas, owned by an American company, which was preparing to transport grain from Argentina to the city of Aden in southern Yemen. The city of Aden is an area controlled by Yemen's "Southern Transition**", which is backed by the UAE and is in a balanced position in the fight against the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Hadi regime. Therefore, it is not surprising that the "Sea Champion" was attacked by the Houthis. Another cargo ship, the Navis Fortuna, was also hit by Houthi missiles.
However, the biggest result of the Houthis during this period was not the successful strike against these British and American cargo ships, but the shooting down of a US MQ-9 drone. General Yahya said the Houthis had successfully shot down the drone near the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah. However, the U.S. military has not publicly admitted that the plane was shot down by the Houthis, but said it "fell" and said it was investigating the cause. According to public information, the cost of an MQ-9 is 30 million to 40 million US dollars, which is not a small loss even for the US military, which is deep-pocketed.
The US-British coalition navy, known as the world's first, plus the well-equipped British navy, was hit by three escort ships in just 48 hours, and even lost a drone on a reconnaissance mission. Although the United States claims to have successfully shot down three Houthi missiles and two unmanned boats, on the whole, whether it is face or substance, the United States has lost a mess this time! The New York Times and other foreign media commented that this was "one of the most destructive attacks launched by the Houthis", which is indeed true.
Perhaps in retaliation, the Houthis said that the US-British coalition forces bombed the northern Yemen region again on the 19th. However, in my opinion, this move by the US-British coalition is tantamount to "incompetent rage", and the reality has proven that they cannot subdue the Houthis through bombing. Unless the United States really dispatches a large-scale bomber fleet to carpet bomb northern Yemen as it did in the bombing of Yugoslavia, the US military, which is weakening in overall strength, will not be able to launch such a large-scale air raid.
Therefore, although the United States and Britain talk fiercely, they are in fact in a dilemma, and they dare not and are unable to launch a powerful military attack against the Houthis. Under the Houthi bombardment, this Red Sea raid is likely to continue.