Ten days after carrying out a large-scale attack on a convoy of five US ships approaching Djibouti, Yemen’s Houthi rebels attempted to strike the same vessels as they made their way out of the East African port.
The attack on Tuesday seems to have been smaller in scope than the initial operation on 1 December, when the group had fired a barrage of missiles and drones at the destroyers USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane.
The same strike targeted the US-flagged, owned and operated 2,500-teu boxship Maersk Saratoga (built 2004), 49,700-dwt MR2 tanker Stena Impeccable (built 2017) and 50,600-dwt supramax bulker Liberty Grace (built 2001) .
This time, the USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane had to shoot down just one anti-ship cruise missile and an unidentified number of drones, according to a statement by US Central Command (Centcom) late on Tuesday.
“The reckless attacks resulted in no injuries and no damage to any vessels, civilians or US naval,” Centcom said.
A few hours earlier, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree had announced the targeting of two “American” destroyers and three “American” supply ships in the Gulf of Aden.
Neither US Centcom nor the Houthis identified the three civilian vessels.
However, the ships’ descriptions and last known locations suggest that it was the same convoy that was targeted on 1 December.
“This targeting of these ships and destroyers is the second within 10 days,” Saree said on Tuesday.
The action provides further proof that the rebels’ potential to carry out attacks against shipping in the area remains undiminished, despite repeated US claims to be degrading it with airstrikes.
On the other hand, it also highlights that the Houthis are not usually capable of hitting vessels escorted by warships with good anti-aerial defence.
In a similar incident more than two months ago, they launched 23 missiles and drones against three US warships in the Red Sea. None of them came to harm.
