US and allied forces shot down 15 one-way attack drones fired by Iran-backed Yemeni rebels into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on Saturday, the US military said.

Shortly afterwards, the rebels claimed the attack, saying they had fired missiles at an “American” commercial ship and launched drones at US warships in “the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden”.

It was one of the Houthis’ largest attacks since they began in November a campaign of drone and missile strikes against vessels in the Red Sea area, vital for world trade, in professed solidarity with Palestinians during Israel’s war against Iran-backed Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

The US Central Command, or CENTCOM, said the “large-scale” Houthi attack occurred before dawn into the Red Sea and adjacent Gulf of Aden.

CENTCOM and coalition forces determined that the drones “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels, US Navy and coalition ships in the region”.

It added, in a post on social media platform X, that “US Navy vessels and aircraft along with multiple coalition navy ships and aircraft shot down 15” of the drones.

“These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.”

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, also on X, said the rebels had carried out two separate operations.

The first targeted the commercial vessel Propel Fortune in the Gulf of Aden, he said, calling it an “American” ship.

Vessel tracking websites describe the bulk carrier as Singapore-flagged but did not report its current position.

A second operation fired “37 drones” at “a number of American” warships, Saree said.

The United States in December announced a maritime security initiative to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks, which have forced commercial vessels to divert from the route that normally carries 12 percent of global trade.

The rebel strikes this week caused their first reported fatalities.

The Philippine government said two Filipino crew members were among those killed in a missile strike on the bulk carrier True Confidence.

On March 2, the first known vessel sinking from the strikes occurred when the Belize-flagged, Lebanese-operated Rubymar went down in the Red Sea days after a rebel missile strike.

Since January the United States and Britain have also launched repeated strikes on Huthi targets in Yemen in response to the ship attacks, but the rebels have continued to attack merchant vessels and have also targeted American and British ships.

Yemen’s rebels control the capital Sanaa and much of the Red Sea coast, despite an earlier bombing campaign that a Saudi-led coalition began in 2015 and which continued for years.

On January 9, US and British forces shot down 18 drones and three missiles fired by the rebels toward ships in the Red Sea, the US military said at the time.

Britain said it was the largest attack to that point by the Houthis.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

American and British forces carried out a fresh wave of strikes Saturday against 18 Huthi targets in Yemen, a joint statement said, following weeks of unrelenting attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed rebels.

The strikes “specifically targeted 18 Huthi targets across eight locations in Yemen associated with Houthi underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter,” said the joint statement.

The statement was co-signed by Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand, who gave unspecified “support” to the new round of strikes, the second this month and fourth since the rebels began their attacks on ships in the region.

“The Huthis’ now more than 45 attacks on commercial and naval vessels since mid-November constitute a threat to the global economy, as well as regional security and stability, and demand an international response,” the statement said.

Saturday’s operation comes after several merchant vessels were struck this week in the region, including the fertilizer-filled Rubymar, whose crew had to abandon ship after it was hit Sunday and began taking on water.

Apart from the joint operations with Britain, the United States has also carried out repeated unilateral strikes against Huthi positions and weaponry in Yemen, claiming self-defense, and has downed air and sea-borne drones in the Red Sea.

“The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways,” Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said in a separate statement after the strikes.

“We will continue to make clear to the Huthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks, which harm Middle Eastern economies, cause environmental damage, and disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other countries.”

The Huthis say they are targeting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war.

Following previous US and UK strikes, the Huthis declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.

Anger over Israel’s devastating campaign in Gaza — which began after an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 — has grown across the Middle East, stoking violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Exporters are worried that high freight cost could impact exports. Representational
| Photo Credit: PTI

There is no adverse impact on India’s exports and imports so far due to the Red Sea crisis, an official said. The official said that the transportation cost has increased as the shippers are taking a long route.

“There is no impact in volume terms so far. Only the transportation cost is up. It has risen for all the countries. It has not affected the trade adversely so far. We have to see the long term demand, but it will depend on the EU and the US,” the official added.

These two regions account for over 30% of India’s total exports.

However, exporters said that they are keeping their fingers crossed as due to the significant jump in freight cost, India’s exports may be impacted. The trade data for January will be released by the Commerce Ministry on February 15. In December last year, exports rose marginally by one per cent to $38.45 billion.

Due to the attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels on commercial ships, the movement of goods from the Red Sea, the world’s busiest shipping route, has disrupted the global supply chains as vessels have to take long routes for exports and imports.

The immediate ripple effects are seen in increased freight costs, mandatory war risk insurance, and significant delays due to rerouting.

Costs jump due to conflict

According to think tank GTRI, the average container spot rates have more than doubled since early December 2023. Basmati rice exporters face freight costs soaring to $2,000 per 20-tonne container for destinations around the Red Sea, marking a 233% increase, it has said in a report.

Houthi group has been using drones and rockets to target ships, which are transporting goods through the strait of Bab al-Mandab, which is a crucial shipping route connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean.

The strait, vital for 30% of the global container traffic, has seen increased tensions with various incidents in 2023, including attacks and military manoeuvres by regional and global powers.

India is heavily reliant on this route for trade and energy imports and due to the disruptions, exporters here have to diversify their trade routes.

Strikes have been continuing for many years but escalated this year sharply, with militants now using anti-ship ballistic missiles.

To avoid attacks, most large shipping firms, since December 15 last year, have stopped using the Bab al-Mandab straits for trade with Europe via the Red Sea and Suez Canal. The closure of this route snaps a critical trade link between Europe and India and all of Asia.

Ships going to Europe will now move via a much longer route around the Cape of Good Hope, the bottom tip of Africa. This change increases voyage distances by 40% and raises transportation time and cost.

Change in shipping routes

The two main shipping routes from India to Europe are via Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, Suez Canal and Red Sea; and via Cape of Good Hope, encircling Africa.

The Red Sea route is shorter and faster, making it the preferred option for most shipping companies. It starts from major Indian ports like Mumbai, JNPT, or Chennai, heads westward through the Arabian Sea, enters the Red Sea, and navigates through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea. From there, ships can reach various European ports depending on their destinations.

India is heavily reliant on this strait for its crude oil, LNG imports and trade with West Asia, Africa, and Europe.

The Cape of Good Hope route is longer and slower than the Suez Canal route, but it avoids the potential for delays or disruptions. It is used for bulk cargo shipments where time is less critical or when political instability in West Asia raises concerns about using the Suez Canal.

It starts from the Indian ports, heads southward across the Indian Ocean, rounds the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, and then sails northward along the west coast of Africa before entering the Mediterranean Sea and reaching European ports.