In order to protect shipping in the Red Sea, the United States and Britain and other countries have carried out many airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels, but they have had little effect and have intensified the resistance of the other side. Far from being defeated, the Houthis have become more and more courageous, launching numerous missile attacks on Western ships in the Red Sea, causing heavy losses and panic.
The most recent attack occurred on January 16, when a U.S.-owned container ship, the Gibraltar Eagle, was attacked by Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles 150 kilometers from Yemen. According to the U.S. ** command, the ship was hit by a missile in the cargo hold, fortunately, the steel products loaded on the ship played a protective role, did not cause a fire or **, the ship's power system was not affected, and the captain said that the damage has been contained. The U.S. military then sent ships and *** to the rescue, and deployed armed escorts on board. According to foreign media analysis, the ship may have been the target of accidental injury by the Houthis, because it has nothing to do with Israel, and the Houthis have previously threatened to strike at Israeli ships.
This is not the first time that the Houthis have carried out missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea, and since the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza last November, the Houthis have begun retaliation against Red Sea shipping, and according to US military statistics, more than 20 merchant ships have been attacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea, including a Saudi oil tanker and an Israeli cargo ship. In order to deal with the threat of the Houthis, the United States, Britain and other countries formed the "Red Sea Escort Alliance" and dispatched a large number of ships such as the USS Eisenhower to carry out several air strikes on the Houthi strongholds and warehouses, claiming to have destroyed part of the Houthi long-range strike capabilities. However, the Houthis were not intimidated, but instead intensified their strikes on Red Sea shipping, and even used anti-ship cruise missiles, which were fortunately intercepted in time by US carriers.
The Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles were obtained from Iran, and their range and power are not very high, but there is still a certain threat to large ships at low speeds, especially in sea areas with insufficient radar coverage, which are difficult to detect and intercept in time. The Houthis have mastered good camouflage and concealment skills in the long-term battle with the Saudi coalition, they hide a large number of missiles and drones in caves or underground, which are difficult to detect and destroy by US air strikes, and they can also flexibly adjust the launch location and time, causing great trouble to US ships.
As a result of the Houthi missile strikes, the security situation in the Red Sea has become increasingly tense, and many U.S. allies have begun to doubt the effectiveness of the Red Sea escort alliance, preferring to take a detour through the Cape of Good Hope in Africa rather than risk passing through the Red Sea. This is a huge blow to global shipping, because the Red Sea is an important passage connecting Europe and Asia, and about 15% of the annual shipping volume passes through the Red Sea. Turkey's ** Erdogan once criticized the air strikes of the United States and Britain and other countries, turning the Red Sea into a "sea of blood" instead of a "sea of peace".