WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — The United States is warning Houthi rebels to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The Yemeni rebels have launched more than 60 drones and ballistic missiles towards Israel since the beginning of the war on Oct. 7.
A ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels slammed into a cargo ship Friday in the Red Sea near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, following another attack only hours earlier that struck a separate vessel, authorities said.
Almost all of the missiles and drones were intercepted by Israeli, U.S., French and Saudi air defense systems. The Biden administration said it is working with the State Department and Pentagon to deter the attacks with a multinational task force.
“What we’re doing now is working very closely consulting with allies and partners on establishing an international maritime task force under the umbrella of the combined maritime forces, which is an already existing entity comprised of 39 different nations that come together to address maritime challenges throughout the broader Middle East region,” said Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder.
Military officials told NewsNation on Friday that they are tracking a total of 98 attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East since October.
The Houthis say their attacks aim to end the pounding Israeli air-and-ground offensive targeting the Gaza Strip amid the country’s war on Hamas. However, the links to the ships targeted in the rebel assaults have grown more tenuous as the attacks continue.
“The Yemeni armed forces confirm they will continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports from navigating in the (Red Sea) until they bring in the food and medicine that our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip need,” the Houthi military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said in a statement claiming responsibility for Friday’s attacks.
The recent attacks led Maersk, the world’s biggest shipping company, to announce Friday that its told all of its vessels planning to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to “pause their journey until further notice.” German-based shipper Hapag-Lloyd that was operating the Al Jasrah also said it was pausing all its container ship traffic through the Red Sea until Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.