US Military and Yemeni Rebels Engage in First Fatal Clash in the Red Sea
Danish shipping giant Maersk's cargo ship Maersk Hangzhou was attacked by Yemeni rebel Youth Movement missiles in the Red Sea at 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 30. For the second time in 24 hours, the Youth Movement attacked four small boats with light weapons and attempted to board the ship, and U.S. troops rushing to help opened fire from the air and sank three boats. The Al-Shabaab later confessed to the deaths of 10 rebels. This is the first deadly clash between U.S. troops and young rebels since the Youth Movement attacked merchant ships in the Red Sea.
This is the first deadly clash between U.S. troops and Yemeni rebels since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas in early October, when Yemeni rebels attacked a merchant ship in the Red Sea in support of the Palestinians. A spokesman for the youth movement went on to confirm that 10 crew members were "dead or missing", saying that the attack on the Maersk Hangzhou had been carried out because the freighter refused to heed their warnings, which led to the pro-Houthi Iranian warship Albus announcing its entry into the Red Sea.
Because of this, the 40-foot container on the European route has risen from $4,000 to $5,200 every other week, and is expected to reach $8,000 by the end of January; plus the proximity of the Chinese New Year, another $55 to $65 will be added to the carbon tax surcharge (ETS).
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