Sunday, October 6, 2024

US Navy Faces Its Most Intense Combat Since World War II Against Yemen’s Iran-Backed Houthi Rebels

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ABOARD THE LABOON IN THE RED SEA — The U.S. Navy prepared for decades to potentially fight the Soviet Union, then later and China, on the world’s waterways. But instead of a global , the Navy finds itself locked in combat with a shadowy, Iran-backed rebel group based in .

The U.S.-led campaign against the Houthi rebels, overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, has turned into the most intense running sea battle the Navy has faced since World War II, its leaders and experts told The Associated Press.

The combat pits the Navy’s mission to keep international waterways open against a group whose former arsenal of assault rifles and pickup trucks has grown into a seemingly inexhaustible supply of drones, missiles and other weaponry. Near-daily attacks by the Houthis since November have seen more than 50 vessels clearly targeted, while shipping volume has dropped in the vital Red Sea corridor that leads to the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean.

The Houthis say the attacks are aimed at stopping the war in Gaza and supporting the Palestinians, though it comes as they try to strengthen their position in Yemen. All signs suggest the warfare will intensify — putting U.S. sailors, their allies and commercial vessels at more risk.

“I don’t think people really understand just kind of how deadly serious it is what we’re doing and how under threat the ships continue to be,” Cmdr. Eric Blomberg with…

Continue Reading This Article At Military.com

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