US strikes kill 10 Huthi rebels attacking ship in Red Sea

The clash in the Red Sea marked a deadly escalation since the United Statesset up a multinational naval task force in early December to protect the vitalshipping lane against Huthi attacks.
The rebels -- who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians inthe Israel-Hamas war in Gaza -- have repeatedly fired drones and missiles atpassing ships in the straits through which 12 percent of global trade passes.
US Central Command said the Navy had responded to a distress call from theMaersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and operated container shipthat reported coming under attack for a second time in 24 hours whiletransiting the Red Sea.
The vessel had earlier been targeted with two anti-ship ballistic missiles. One was shot down by the US military and the other hit the Maersk Hangzhou, reports BSS.
The Huthis had then fired on US helicopters, which "returned fire inself-defence", sinking three of four small boats that had come within 20 meters(65 feet) of the ship, according to the CENTCOM statement.
It said the crews of the three vessels were killed while a fourth boat fledthe area.
"Ten Huthis were killed and two were wounded in the US strike on Huthiboats that tried to stop a vessel in the sea off Hodeida," said a source, whoasked not to be named, at Yemen's rebel-controlled Hodeida port.
Another port source, also requesting anonymity, said that "four survivorshave arrived in Hodeida with two wounded who were taken to hospital".             
- Maersk suspends Red Sea transit -                 
Maersk suspended the passage of its vessels through the Red Sea strait for48 hours after the latest of about two dozen attacks by Huthis on internationalshipping in six weeks.
The cargo ship, en route from Singapore to Egypt's Port Suez, had made anearlier distress call after it was struck by the Huthi missile.
CENTCOM said that assault was the 23rd illegal attack by the Huthis oninternational shipping since November 19.
The vessel appeared to be undamaged and "was able to continue its transitnorth", Maersk, one of the world's largest shipping companies, said in astatement.
The cargo ship was then fired on by four Huthi rebel vessels that attemptedto board the vessel, according to the shipping company.
"In light of the incident -- and to allow time to investigate the detailsof the incident and assess the security situation further -- it has beendecided to delay all transits through the area for the next 48 hours," it added.
Regional tensions have spiked since the outbreak of the Gaza war.
Israel has been pounding the besieged Palestinian territory relentlesslysince the Hamas militant group launched an unprecedented attacked on October 7.
That attack killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to anAFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel's bombardment of Gaza and a ground offensive have killed 21,672people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
US forces in Iraq and Syria have also repeatedly come under fire from droneand rocket attacks that Washington says are being carried out by Iran-backedarmed groups.
And Israel has traded regular cross-border fire with the Iran-backedHezbollah movement in Lebanon.