On January 4, 2024, the Houthis detonated an unmanned dinghy on a merchant ship in the Red Sea. The incident sent a clear signal: since the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Houthis have warned Israel not to carry out military strikes and wars against the Gaza Strip, otherwise they will intercept and strike at merchant ships entering Israeli ports or carrying supplies. The suicide dinghy** was preceded by about 25 interceptions or attacks by U.S. warships. Why did this sudden ** happen?This was the first attack by an unmanned dinghy, after more than two dozen missile attacks or manned dinghies.
At the end of December 2023, the Houthis warned a large Danish container ship to stop sailing for inspection, but the vessel ignored it. The Houthis fired two missiles, which missed the target. Subsequently, the Houthis issued another warning, but the ship did not stop. As a result, the Houthis sent four manned dinghy to approach the boat. Faced with such a situation, the Danish ships had nothing to do. Unlike the average pirate, the Houthis armed with heavy **, including submachine guns, rocket launchers, and even attacked the United States *** The United States *** launched missiles, sank three of the boats, and the other escaped. After that, the Danish container ship was able to continue sailing.
However, this raises the question of whether a merchant ship is asked to stop sailing and refuses to do so, it may be directly impacted by the unmanned dinghy, and the explosives it carries may hit the vessel's power system and cause the propeller to not function properly. If the ** is powerful and causes the boat to enter the water, the ship may sink. At this time, the USS Ford had withdrawn from the Mediterranean, and its duty hours had exceeded the normal range, resulting in a decline in military strength in the region and a further threat to the safety of the shipping lanes.
Israel, however, has said that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is likely to last longer than the expected quick end, which means that the Houthi blockade of the Red Sea-related shipping lanes may be extended, and more dangerous unmanned boats** hijacking or strikes may be used.