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On December 31, 2023 local time, Yemen's Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarraya issued a statement saying that 10 armed members of the group were killed by U.S. forces in an operation against a Red Sea merchant ship on the same day. On the same day, U.S. officials said the U.S. would continue its military operations if the Houthis did not stop their attacks.
Sarrea said 10 members of the Houthi naval force were killed by U.S. forces in the operation, and that the Houthis will continue to strike all "Israeli-linked" cargo ships passing through the Red Sea.
Yemen's Houthi spokeswoman Yahya Sareya said: "We also call on other countries not to participate in the dangerous actions of the United States, because this will have negative consequences that could affect everyone." ”
On the same day, John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, said that the United States does not seek to provoke a broader conflict in the Middle East and does not seek to clash with the Houthis, but the United States has repeatedly made it clear that it wants the Houthis to stop their attacks, otherwise the United States will continue to take military action.
Earlier on December 31, 2023, the U.S. Central Command issued a statement saying that a Singapore-flagged container ship in the Red Sea sent a distress signal to the U.S. military that morning, saying that four Yemeni Houthi rebel speedboats tried to approach the freighter to board the ship. The U.S. Navy sent multiple helicopters to sink three Houthi speedboats and kill several armed personnel, while the remaining one speedboat quickly left the scene.
Since the outbreak of the new Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Yemen's Houthi rebels have continuously attacked "Israeli-related" ships in the Red Sea on the grounds of supporting Palestine, which has led a number of international shipping companies to announce the suspension of the Red Sea route and detour the southern tip of Africa instead. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced earlier that he was coordinating the formation of a multinational escort alliance to maintain freedom of navigation in the Red Sea waters. Although the US side claims that 20 countries have joined the so-called "Red Sea escort alliance", so far, Spain, Italy and France have all made it clear that they do not want to act under the leadership of the United States. Most of the remaining countries are willing to send only a symbolic small number of participants, and many others have asked for anonymity.
(Editor: Gao Ya)