The U.S. Navy on Sunday sunk three small Houthi boats in the Red Sea, following an attack on the container ship, Maersk Hangzhao.
According to the U.S. Central Command, the ships originated from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and fired at the Maersk Hangzhao while attempting to board the vessel.
Navy helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and the Gravely responded immediately to a distress call from the attacked ship and started giving out verbal orders when the Houthi-controlled boats started firing at them with crew-served weapons and small arms.
The helicopters sunk three of the four small boats and killed the crews, CENTCOM confirmed. CENTCOM also stated that no U.S. forces were injured, and there was no damage to U.S. equipment.
“The U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense,” CENTCOM said in their statement.
The fourth boat fled the area, possibly because of the retaliatory action taken by the U.S. Navy helicopters. This exchange adds to the increasing tension in the region with attacks on shipping vessels claimed by the Houthi rebels ever since Israel declared war on the militant group Hamas on Oct. 7.