Houthis launch suicide boat for the first time, Red Sea repeats Black Sea scenario?

Boat of Houthi forces (Illustration photo: AFP).

"A Houthi unmanned surface vessel, also known as a USV, exploded in international shipping lanes. Fortunately, there were no casualties and no ships were hit," AFP quoted Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US naval forces in the Middle East, as telling reporters.

This is the 25th attack on cargo ships moving in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 18, 2023, Mr. Cooper said.

The incident also comes a day after 12 countries - led by the US - warned that the Houthis would face "consequences" if they did not immediately stop attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

In December 2023, the US established a multinational naval coalition to protect shipping routes in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks.

“Since the campaign began, together with our partners, we have shot down 19 drones and missiles,” including 11 UAVs, two cruise missiles and six anti-ship ballistic missiles, as well as sunk three boats, Mr. Cooper said.

Houthi attacks in the Red Sea threaten to disrupt shipping routes carrying up to 12% of global trade.

Meanwhile, Mr Cooper said the attacked ships had “direct links” to more than 50 countries other than Israel.

The latest conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted after the Hamas militant group launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,140 people, according to Israeli figures.

Vice Admiral Cooper noted that this was not the first time the Houthis had used suicide boats. “They have been using these types of weapons for many years,” he said.

According to War Zone , the first time this military newspaper reported on the Houthi suicide boat capabilities was in January 2017, when a Houthi USV carrying explosives attacked a Saudi Arabian destroyer.

The Houthis' first use of suicide boats in the Red Sea raises the possibility of a repeat of the Black Sea scenario in the Ukraine conflict.

Ukraine has prioritized the development and deployment of a fleet of unmanned boats to repel Russian warships in the Black Sea (Photo: United 24).

After a deal to facilitate grain exports in the Black Sea collapsed in July 2023, Russian warships blockaded Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. Ukraine then stepped up its use of suicide boats in retaliation.

In December 2023, the New York Times quoted the Ukrainian Navy as saying that since being deployed in the Black Sea, suicide boats have damaged and sunk dozens of Russian ships.

Combined with Western-supplied missiles and drones, Ukraine forced the Russian Navy to withdraw its ships from the port of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula.

Ukraine’s use of unmanned boats has helped open up grain export routes across the Black Sea, while forcing Russian missile boats to attack at greater distances from the Ukrainian coast, giving Kiev’s air defenses more time to react.

The Black Sea scenario demonstrates that a side without large conventional warships can still deploy asymmetric power at sea to effectively repel an adversary. After first using suicide boats in the Red Sea, the Houthis could cause further trouble for the US-led coalition with follow-up attacks.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/houthi-lan-dau-phong-xuong-tu-sat-bien-do-tai-dien-kich-ban-bien-den-20240105093428103.htm