(GoRealNewsNow.com) – The US Navy has seen itself forced to engage in a full-fledged, large-scale naval battle – in which it has emerged victorious – after Yemen’s Houthi terrorists, a proxy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, tried to attack and hijack a commercial ship near the Arabian Peninsula.
US Navy helicopters have engaged and destroyed three Houthi boats, resulting in the deaths of their crews.
The US helicopter crews responded to a distress signal from the targeted container ship.
The incident was detailed in a US Central Command (Centcom) statement.
“On Dec. 31 at 6:30 am (Sanaa time) the container ship MAERSK HANGZHOU issued a second distress call in less than 24 hours reporting being under attack by four Iranian-backed Houthi small boats. The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew served and small arms weapons at the MAERSK HANGZHOU, getting to within 20 meters of the vessel, and attempted to board the vessel. A contract embarked security team on the MAERSK HANZGHOU returned fire,” Centcom explained.
Following this, US Navy helicopters responded to the distress calls.
“US helicopters from the USS EISENHOWER (CVN 69) and GRAVELY (DDG 107) responded to the distress call and in the process of issuing verbal calls to the small boats, the small boats fired upon the US helicopters with crew served weapons and small arms. The US Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews. The fourth boat fled the area. There was no damage to US personnel or equipment,” Centcom recounted.
This marks the first time the US military has killed Houthi crew members in response to attacks on commercial vessels and US ships in the Red Sea since such incidents began in October – after the Palestinian Islamist terrorist group Hamas, another Iranian proxy, attacked US ally Israel.
Since then, there have been at least 23 attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels, with some causing damage, Breitbart News reports.
Previously, the US Navy had targeted drones and missiles from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen but had not directly engaged Houthi forces.
This incident also appears to be the first time Houthi forces have attacked US Navy helicopters. Pentagon officials assert the US military has the right to self-defense.
This US Navy counterstrike follows criticism of the Biden administration’s efforts to form an international coalition to deter Houthi attacks.