Security Council to vote on resolution condemning Houthis as attacks on shipping continue

In the latest incident, Centcom said on X, formerly Twitter, that the Iran-backed Houthis "launched a complex attack of Iranian-designed one-way attack UAVs (OWA UAVs), anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Southern Red Sea, towards international shipping lanes where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting."

The tweet added that US and British naval ships shot down 18 UAVs and two anti-ship cruise missiles. Centcom also noted that no merchant vessels in the vicinity reported any casualties or damage.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that the incident took place 50 miles west of Yemen's port city of Hodeidah.

Centcom said this was the 26th Houthi attack on Red Sea shipping since Nov. 19.

The incident came as the UN Security Council was scheduled to vote on a US-sponsored resolution condemning the Houthi attacks on Wednesday.

From bases along the Yemeni coast, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have threatened ships in the Red Sea as they traverse the Bab el-Mandeb Straits, a narrow maritime chokepoint between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. The majority of the world's oil passes through the strait from the Indian Ocean towards the Suez Canal and Mediterranean Sea.

The Houthis vowed in early December to target any Israel-bound ship in the Red Sea, regardless of its ownership. They have attacked or harassed a number of ships and hijacked the MV Galaxy Leader in November. The cargo ship and its crew of 25 are being held hostage in Hodeidah.

Major shipping companies have responded to the threat by rerouting vessels away from the Suez Canal-Red Sea route to going around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa, a much longer journey.

In response, the US is leading Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational coalition of naval forces protecting shipping in the Red Sea. (ANI/TPS)